Change Required

Change, it is feared, inevitable and required. We can’t control everything in our lives so like it or not, things are going to change.   In order to grow, advance or move change is required.  We cannot keep doing things the same way we always have and expect to get different results.  Ben Franklin said “when you are finished changing you are finished.”  In order to improve our circumstances, get through challenges or to just be a better person today than we were yesterday, we need change. 

I believe this is the purpose of the I Ho Chuan, to change people.  Each one of us who have embarked on this journey came with our own set of goals and expectations. In some we surprised ourselves and smiled and then there were others that left us disappointment and at times discouraged.  But as long as we did not give up, we didn’t fail, we just learnt all the ways things didn’t work.  Each one of us has changed, some in obvious leaps and bounds and others in smaller but still significant ways, all working towards a life of mastery. So it is with mixed feelings I prepare for the next couple of weeks.  It is with excitement, hard work and enjoyment that I prepare for Jan 28^th and with a bit of sadness that the year of the Monkey comes to an end. I may not be on the Rooster team but after a few years in the I Ho Chuan I have come away with immense appreciation for the value of the team and their support and a number of tools that have helped develop routines that have become a lifestyle, for this I am very grateful. So to all you Roosters, have a wonderful year, work hard, never give up, continue to push past mediocrity and enjoy every moment.

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

True Greatness

Greatness and fame are too often seen as the same thing.  All around us we are bombarded with pictures and stories of “great people” who have had a song reach number one, hit a homerun or been elected President.  However, does the world have a deluded idea of what true greatness really is?  2016 saw the death of many celebrities and people in the public eye, everything from authors, musicians, actor’s etc. and with their deaths came the stories of how they really lived. As I heard some of these stories, I couldn’t help but feel a little sad.  Here were many, who in their rise to fame and popularity had the attention, contacts and financial means that could have been the makings of real, positive and huge change, however, they let the pride and glamor of stardom too often get in the way and cloud their true ability, value, purpose and direction.   Is this true greatness?

A particular line in one of my readings this week read “Greatness is planted in the seedbed of humility, it’s watered by the deeds of servant hood and it’s cultivated by the hands of perseverance until it finally yields the harvest of royalty.”  I love this sentence! I believe humility and greatness walk hand in hand. I believe that with constant and consistent words and actions that serve others, the harvest is greatness.  And I believe the rewards of humility outweigh the dollar signs of stardom hands down. It has never been the person yelling loudly “look at me, see what I have done, aren’t I great?” that defines true greatness to me.  In my life the truly great people were never pictured in the magazines at the tills, they are those who taught me the things that really matter, the things that build a person of character.  They taught me right from wrong, the meaning of hard work, compassion, understanding, love, forgiveness, courage, determination, integrity, loyalty and humility. They led by example and left a pathway of real goodness and change.  I believe true greatness lies deep in the heart of every person and every day we have the choice with what we plant. It is those choices that will determine what the harvest is.

Alana Regier

http:/alanaregier.blogspot.ca

True Gratitude

Gratitude, it seems to be the theme around me for the past couple of weeks.  Everything from the conversations I’ve had, to the messages at church, to the reminders in kung fu and even the commercials on TV, they all seem to be reminding me that I have a never ending list of things in my life to be grateful for.  Like many, I have had a tough year in a more than a few respects.  I am ashamed to say that I have had more than a few moments struggling with finding anything to be grateful for.  I have got so caught up in and focused on what was going wrong that I missed what was going right.  I think I have “painted a broad brush of thanksgiving that leaves me deeply thankful for very few things in my life.”  This year one of my goals was to keep up with a gratitude journal.  I started off fairly strong but as the year continued and more challenging things came up in life I found myself struggling to find anything to write.  This is absolutely absurd!  My life is so full of wonderful people, things and experiences, how could I not find even a simple little sentence or even one word of something I have to be grateful for? 

This past week, after more than a little reflection, I have discovered that I have been missing true gratitude because I have been looking too broad.  I haven’t been looking at the small specific details, the meaningful words and moments that build true gratitude.  I have lazily and thoughtlessly named off words that encompasses so much more if I break it down and truly focus on the pieces. A couple of nights ago I went out for a walk (very bundled up and yes it was cold).  I walked very slowly; anyone who knows me or has ever walked with me will understand that this is a huge challenge for me.  Slowing down and truly focusing on the moment I felt the cold biting air on what skin was exposed making me aware I’m alive.  Looking up I could see thousands of stars lighting up the dark sky.  I could see and feel the snowflakes falling on my face.  I could hear true peace and quiet with only the crunching of snow under my boots.  I could smell the wood burning from fireplaces in the neighborhood. Without making the conscious decision to slow down and truly look at and pick apart the pieces of the night, I would have missed one of the best night walks ever.

Meet each day with a grateful heart.  Look beyond the big picture and see and appreciate the small details and pieces that make up all we have to be grateful for.

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

Tiger Challenge Fears

With the Tiger Challenge approaching fast I catch myself remembering the first tournament I actually participated in.  I am embarrassed to say it took me till blue belt to build up the courage to submit the entry form and more than a few sleepless nights after that.  I wish I could say I had finally built up the confidence and guts on my own; however that is not totally the truth.  It was actually my oldest son who lit the fire.  After many years participating himself, he told me right out that I wasn’t signing up why should he?  What is a mother to do?  So that was it, we signed up for a team form and before I knew it I was in 3 additional divisions and my mind was changed as to where I wanted to go in my training.

This single action was the turning point for my Kung Fu.  I can say with confidence, out loud and with true belief that there is extreme value in stepping up and taking advantage of opportunities like the Tiger Challenge.  These are the decisions that can turn the direction of or push you to achieve goals that otherwise would never materialize. I can’t say that it is now easy to get up and compete, actually in some ways it seems harder.  So with only 5 sleeps away I am feeling disappointed that I may not be able to participate this year for the simple fact that I realize the value in it.  I will be there all day cheering you all on wishing I was on the mats with you.  I encourage everyone to jump on this opportunity and don’t wait till blue belt.  There is so much to learn in a safe and fun environment.

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

Right vs Wrong

From the day they were born we have taught our kids right from wrong.  We have done our best to instill in them kindness, compassion, forgiveness, empathy, respect and love for others.  We have tried to lead by example but have fallen short on many occasions, however, these are the times we have tried to use as teachable moments and I hope all walked away having learnt valuable lessons.

We have had some major changes for schooling this year. Because of lack of room, the program Kayden is in was moved to another school. With the blending of different groups, challenges have arisen.  With this move, Kayden has found himself surrounded with new students, some who have a different view as to what is right and what is wrong.  In grade 9 the hormones are raging, boundaries are being tested and kids are trying to find out just where they fit. This is a time where many teenagers have been known to behave in less than desirable ways.  So as I hear and see the drama unfold I have caught myself this week telling Kayden to “just let it go” to some of the small things that fall in the undesirable category.  What I have forgotten is that these “small things” are the same things that he was taught as a little guy to be unacceptable.  Have I just erased the value in all we’ve taught that has helped build him into the wonderful young man is becoming?  Is there a fine line between tolerance and being a coward in not standing up for what you believe is right?  What behaviors fall into the category of “little things”?  Is accepting and turning our eyes to the “little things” just allowing the little things to become big things?  The answers to these questions are tough to find and vary depending on your perspective.  To say “ya I know it’s not right, but that is reality and you are just going to have to accept somethings sometimes” sucks as an answer. I will never be able to give an answer for every scenario my children will run into, and although they will not be able to rid the world COMPLETELY of injustice and evil, how they react does matter and will alter the outcome one way or the other. It is not always the yelling voice saying “you shouldn’t do this” that will make a positive difference, although it may get you a black eye.  Sometimes it’s the silent voice and the quiet actions that speak louder and have the biggest impact.  Just because we don’t speak up does not necessarily mean we accept and condone the words people say or the way they behave, sometimes it’s just not the time or the battle. It’s not necessarily a matter of being weak or scared when choosing silence but rather using our better judgement from what we have been taught and what we have learnt from experience that helps us differentiate when to speak up and when to shut up. If speaking up holds no positive purpose, maybe there is another way!

Alana Regier

http:/alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

End of the Season

I have now just finished my season/contract with the County of Parkland, Agriculture Division.  Since May I have been fortunate to be part of a team who truly does believe in making both positive examples and differences in our community and beyond.  It has been a while since I’ve had the opportunity to work with a group of people who are health conscious (not too many donuts around this office) as well as environmentally conscious.  To end my season I was privileged to be a part of the City Slickers program offered through the Multicultural Center in Stony Plain.  This is a program that brings between 1200-1500 grades 4&5 students out to the farm.  The program is designed to teach students where their food comes from, to hear from farmers themselves as to how they take care of their land, animals and the environment in order to produce safe food and to listen to different groups and businesses involved in the processes of growing our food while at the same time being aware of the importance of conserving our environment.  

Our display and presentation was based on the importance of soil and how valuable and vital it is to our life. It was so hard to narrow the presentation to 20 minutes; there was just so much to share with these kids.  I completely enjoyed brainstorming and preparing for this event.  We had put together everything from posters, soil profiles, buckets of different soil textures complete with fake bugs to profile frames showing root developments and even a display with worms. As Friday came closer I found the thought of making approximately 10 presentations to different groups of students freaked me out more than a little. First off I don’t get extremely excited about presenting anything in front of groups of people and second, I had the idea that children who have been cooped up in the city, school and then the bus may just go a little crazy in the fresh farm air (or run around with their noses plugged as some did).  I’d be lying if the thought of calling in sick didn’t cross my mind or the hope that maybe a tornado would come and just take away my part of the presentation.  However I found myself saying over and over again “this will be good for you, this will be good for you” (thanks I Ho Chuan).  Not only was it good, it was great!  I found the more engaged I could get the kids, the more excited and passionate I became.  Yes there were the kids that I would see playing with the fake bugs in my soil piles who seemed to have tuned me out and then there were those absolutely bright whipper snappers (I know, old persons term, my grandma is laughing at me right now) who always seemed a step ahead and challenged me with questions and their ideas, it was fantastic!  And of those kids who seemed more intrigued by the fake bugs, I discovered they were paying attention all along just learned a little differently than the rest of the class.  And as for the kids going crazy on fresh farm air, I couldn’t be more wrong.  These kids were so eager to learn and take in the day that they behaved with respect and gratitude.  It was a pleasure to spend the day with them.

I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this day, grateful for the I Ho Chuan words “this will be good for you” in my ear and grateful that there were no tornados taking away my soil buckets and fake bugs!  A great way to end the season of a great job!

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

Perhaps a Little Cranky

First off I need to apologize to the team for my lack of blogging lately.  I have no good excuse.  Yes life has been busy and unpredictable and yes I have been having technological difficulties with my google plus and yes I have been a little grumpy and frustrated, but none of that excuses my lack of publicly blogging.  I have sat down to blog every week but have only left the computer with a half a dozen almost finished blogs, with none of them feeling ready to publish.  So where am I and what am I doing?  Well to answer that is tough.  I have for the last 4 months been having some nerve issues in my arms. The last couple of months have only found things to get worse.  I have limited feeling in my arms during the day and I dread the nights more than anything.  Almost 2 hours after going to bed every night I am woken up with what starts as numbness, moving to tingling and then going to shooting pains that have me in tears.  And the night continues like this. To be honest I am completely exhausted, frustrated and tired and having my own little pity party. The last week has been exceptionally bad and I have found myself getting up at 4:00am just to avoid being rudely woken up again.  On a plus note, I have discovered that while all other normal people are still asleep, my dear friend in Australia is awake!   Thanks Darlene! I have exhausted all the chiropractors, massage, accupucture, ice and sleeping with braces to find no relief.  The lack of sleep is making concentration and thought processing difficult not to mention my body more susceptible to other injuries (with my good knee now tweaked).  As of last week, out of complete desperation, I have gone to see my doctor.  I know I should have done that sooner but I am stubborn (it runs in the family) and have had a hard time finding the time to make that happen (another bad excuse).  So I find myself now waiting for EMG (I think those are the right letters) and MRI appointments to find out just exactly what I’m dealing with.  Carpal Tunnel seems to be what is suspected and to the point where surgery is the next step.  Great, 6 weeks of down time, just what I need to get further behind.  With this unreliable grip I have I find myself concentrating and trying so hard to make sure I don’t lose my escrimas.  I am leery of being too close to the mirrors and worse yet to people. If anyone sees my lips moving during demo practice it’s me telling myself repeatedly “hold onto these sticks, hold onto these sticks!” 

Now after spitting that all out and hearing the voices from our last meeting, I am trying to make every effort to continue forward in my training.  I’m not going to lie, I’m finding it hard.  Going to classes with the mindset that I will listen to my body and progress wisely isn’t going so well.  I find there is a special kind of air in the kwoon that makes it hard to feel some injuries until either they are really bad or until I get out to my car.  Sitting on the bench I know I learn tons but it’s hard to sit when you want to do, I got to work on this.  I am still logging my numbers, pushups and plank have taken a kicking (sorry Sifu Csillag on the plank) but I am still on the sit ups, leg lifts, bridge and reaches and kms.   I have learnt the importance of rest for the body and the mind.  I realize all too well that the body can not function to full potential without proper rest and that injuries need to be acknowledged and maybe taken care of at an earlier date (not 4 months later).  I guess right now I have to work more on the mental part. I need to get past the frustration, disappointment and the ‘poor me’ attitude.  I’m working on this, please be patient. I have experienced that injuries can be good for my growth and that they can provide opportunities to learn and excel in other areas but this go around I’m having a harder time seeing that, maybe it’s the lack of sleep that is making this seem impossible.  So I am taking things day by day, still with longer term goals in mind.  I am grateful for the odd nights of more than 4 hours of sleep and that my family has not kicked me out of the house yet because of cantankerousness!

Alana Regier

http:/alanaregier.blogspot.ca