Thank you Mr. Jaroka

When I was a little guy in Cub Scouts my leaders name was Fred Jaroka, that was many years ago........ So, 45 years later,....... At Saturdays open training a young student asked me to observe his stick form, at first I was taken aback because his voice was so was so quiet I has to re-ask what he said, as I was unsure of what he wanted. There's a fault(?) within me where I'm always way off when I guess the Kung_fu kids ages; so I always have to take a second and ask. The reason is the kids I have met have always carried themselves at a maturity/confidence level far beyond their actual age (it seems to me anyway), his reply "I'm seven", yikes!!! Here I've been so focused on relearning and what is happening with my training that I sometimes forget what and who is around me. This young man took "me" out of the "it's all about me now" state I was in and I had to bring myself to share as much as I knew about the stick form, but having to explain it at a level of understanding where such a young man could comprehend what I was trying to say. For me the look of absolute trust in this young man rattled me to where I had to put myself in his shoes at being 7 years old. I thought of being back in the second grade and what my mindset was at the time and how the grown ups/teachers/coaches/Cub-scout leaders of that time for me patiently carried themselves in a manner that inspired me to do better and start to believe in myself. The term "Praise, correct, praise" had such a powerful feeling at that moment. We went through the form several times, I stepped back for a few minutes as the mind can only absorb so much teaching and let him practice on his own, or should I say I had to take a few minutes to compose myself as I feel so clumsy around the little ones. We ran through the form a few more times and it was time to let him practice some more on his own, then it was time for him to go, but before he left he thanked me for the help. Saying "you're welcome" wasn't the end, I also thanked him and tried to explain at a seven year old level of understanding that he helped me also, as it was a learning experience for me too. One of the things that comes to mind over that experience for me; I never would have asked anyone for anything at that age and that's one of my character defects that plagues me today, so young man, once again, thank you for the growth experience. As for Fred Jaroka, he has long since passed on, but I get it, I get it why you were there at all those Monday night Cub Scout meetings many years ago, for fun and for free, you were there for a bunch of us kids and I get it. I finished off Saturday sitting in a Corvette at the auto show, I looked at the price tag of the model I wanted and envisioned myself cutting the cheque and driving down a road somewhere this summer, a nice thought, but it still didn't feel as good as bumping down the road in my little red Volkswagen after Saturday's class. Do the gifts here ever stop coming?

Woodwork Angels

This has been a frustrating week, what to say when you don't know what to ask or more so segmenting the items into a list instead of everything being mixed up and not knowing where to start. It feels as if everything is coming at me all at once and I'm not sure what to do about it. So when in doubt take a deep breath, slow down and "ask". I was having trouble turning the obstacles into opportunities, but just as the blogs title says that's when the "Woodwork Angels" started to show up; friends I haven't seen or talked to in a long time, our I Ho Chuan team meeting and the stories that came out(the sharing of others is exactly where I was and couldn't find that next step on my own),job opportunities that gave me some quiet time and being presented with questions and directions that have gotten me back on track again, whew, feels good! I started out the day with a more regimented direction in spite of being out of town, but what I need and want to do comes first as it was becoming too tempting to ease up and let things just happen. It is a pretty short writing for today but a very powerful turning point.

Starting to see the results

Since starting in the diet aspect of my personal goals I'm starting to see results on a few fronts. One other factor I believe is helping are the extra push ups and situps I wouldn't normally be doing. Going without candy; my two chocolate bars per day minimum, no coffee or caffeine; extra large Starbucks with one honey followed with a Frappachino thrown in every now and again, no pop; diet Coke, Limonata, ice tea or any other soft drinks with a meal and watching the portion size of what and when I eat. Watching the sauces, dressings and those other little extras that are supposed to make the food taste better, I'm putting to the side and just finding proper preparation really makes the all the difference. Getting rid of the instant food was another one; the stuff you can grab off the shelf or out of the fridge takes a little time to get used to when it's not there and no matter how many times I look in the fridge (especially when I get a craving), it's just not there. I've started to pay more attention to the content labels on the packaging of what I throw down and was surprised at the salt and sugar content in the food I eat especially when I'm on the road. I threw out my salt shaker about 10 years ago and am surprised at how salty food can actually taste when you wouldn't expect it to. The guys get a chuckle out of me as I carry an electric grill in my service truck to cook on when I can. My jeans are fitting a little looser in the waist, but, being that I'm trying to gain the weight I lost on my motorcycle trip, I'm also gaining numbers as far as the scale goes, so it's all good. I'm starting to sleep more soundly, the highs and lows of the caffeine and sugar aren't as noticeable. A lot of it is just breaking old habits(ordering a milk with my meals doesn't feel quite right at times). But all is not perfect or perhaps it is,........I had a rush appointment to get to the other day after open training and had enough time to grab a Big Mac and fries, then, in my rear view mirror I saw "the Donahue's" car fast approaching and I knew they were going to pass me,.....as they went by, I stuck my fries between my legs, gave them my best "I'm not doing anything wrong smile and wave" then felt totally guilty about what I was doing as they drove past, busted!