Perception of Detail

Perception of Detail

Yesterday, some of us in the IHC got together to practice our forms in an open training setting.
It was a Great afternoon, and a fantastic way to get to know our teammates a little better.

While we were practicing, an interesting (for lack of a better word) situation arose.

Across the street an argument ensued between two people, and it was certainly heated. Immediately a couple of our teammates directed their attention to the situation, and made themselves known. They were not in harms way, but wanted to keep an eye on the situation in case it escalated.
The two people eventually disappeared around the corner, and then out of sight, possibly back to their hotel room.

To me, the most interesting part of this situation, is what took place afterwards with our team. We started to discuss the event, and shared what we thought, and how we each perceived the situation. It was very interesting, and I learned a lot from this. Not only about the different perceptions of us all, but what I learned about some of my teammates. The situation was not a great one, but for our team, I believe it was a great experience for us to learn about each other.

Some of us more felt the aura of the situation, but not so much of the details. Some of us paid close attention to the details, and some were in between. The couple of us that made themselves known, were of the feeling that being known can be enough to defuse the situation. I myself felt that the more people that were watching, could possibly escalate the situation. Possibly turn the anger on to us.
Thankfully (hopefully) the situation dissolved, to our knowledge.

As Sifu Cosgrove mentioned in her post earlier today, she did ask me to write a blog about this, as I was one of the ones that paid attention to the details. I could describe both people pretty clearly, both in physical appearance, and what they were wearing.

In my employment, this is part of my training on a regular basis, as it is very important to recognize details, as we could potentially find ourselves in a dangerous situation. We partake in several courses annually, and one of our Head of Security is a former Edmonton Police Trainer. 

One of the tips I have been trained on, and learned about is to pay attention to obvious details, such as facial hair, tattoos, and eye and hair color.  These are the hardest things to disguise, and take thought and planning to do so. It is not always the case, but most often. Height is also something that people cannot disguise. Body weight generally is not something you cannot easily disguise either.

What this basically consists of is memorization of sorts. A little trick to practicing this is a game that I have often seen played at bridal or baby showers.
Have someone arrange a tray of kitchen utensils - different shapes, sizes, and colors. They then show you the tray for 10 - 15 seconds. How many items can you describe? How many items were on the tray, and can you describe each one in detail - shape, size, color? Once you are good at this game, try with other objects, rooms, or people in a social, or public setting. Eventually, it will become part of what you do, without even realizing it.

I have also incorporated this into my training with Kung Fu. Not only will I pay attention to the way a move is made, but also the detail of the move. I have found that I need to tell myself to sometimes not pay such close attention to the detail itself. This is because everyone has a different perception of detail. What way one will move or place their hand, may not be exactly the same as another, but it does not mean that it is wrong.

It is habit for me to do this, everyday, in everything that I do. Sometimes I am paying closer attention than other times. This has also made me think that maybe I do feel a bit of people's aura's as well, while not even knowing it. I've referred to this in the past as my 'gut' feeling, or for the Superhero fans out their - my Spidey senses.
This is another thing we are trained on at work, is if your gut is telling you that something is not right, more than likely it is not right, and go with  your gut. Maybe there is some Aura in there?

I had many Great takeaways yesterday from our get together for some training, and one of them was the time I spent with Sifu Cosgrove and Miss Lee in refining my own forms. Sifu and I are doing the same form for this IHC year, but I noticed how her moves and flow are so different from mine (there's that detail in me again lol). So thank you for taking the time with me, and explaining your feeling of flow, and how you incorporate it to your form. And thank you Miss Lee for shaking out some cobwebs for me with Da Mu Hsing. My heartfelt appreciation goes out to you both, as well as all the team members for coming out, participating, and sharing your experience.

In a situation that none of us could have foreseen, or expected, turned into a great team building experience, in my opinion.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to seeing you all in class, and future get together's!!

Resembling Normal

This was my original blog for this week, and since I am behind on a couple, I thought I would double post today! 

As we inch closer to resembling what normal was before Covid-19, there are some things that I hope will stay the same in the new normal.

For one, I hope that everyone who became more engaged in their personal lives to stay that way, and not let the hustle and bustle of life overtake the important things. I do think that life was so busy, we did not take enough time to appreciate. The old saying goes something like this - we do not appreciate what we have, until it is taken away. I do think a lot of that has come forth in the last few months.

That is not to say, that it has not been a struggle. Many things changed very quickly, only to change and change again. Some things were harder to adapt to, and some were for the better.

My main struggle in my Kung Fu was not engagement, but my conditioning.
I took part in as many classes as possible, attended my regular classes, and partook in the extra's that were made available to us, such as Tai Chi, and Sifu Beckett's Stretching class. These I am so grateful for, and my mere words not enough to show my appreciation to all that made it possible. I tried to keep as engaged as possible with everyone that was sharing their experiences through their blogs, and to share my own, with my blogs.

I have struggled greatly with my all around conditioning. Before March, we were at 3 scheduled 1 hour classes a week, and open training at the Kwoon on Saturdays as often as I could. We practiced at home on top of this.
I found throughout the last few months, I was so mentally exhausted after my work days, that I could not find the energy to keep up that schedule, even though I had more time in my week.
This weighs greatly on me, I certainly feel the difference, even after a few short (long) months.
How do I get past this?

I know I need to put a plan together, and stick with it. My days are still long, and this will not change anytime soon, for we are going to feel the effects of Covid for a very long time, in my opinion.

My plan is starting with my eating habits. I now have a habit of late night snacking. This is going to stop, only water after dinner. Instead of the snack attack, maybe 10 or 15 minutes on the cross trainer? These are a couple of my ideas moving forward.

We are also doing a lot of mental health training at work right now. To help deal with what has happened, and what is still to come. Resilience, Resolve, and Recovery. This is also helping a great deal. It is amazing what I have learned about how much your mental health affects your physical well being, and not ever realizing that it was happening to me as well.

I know it is not too late. I have come too far, and I not willing to let it all go down the drain. I have worked too hard, and am proud of how far I have come. Time to put the Master back to work not the Mediocre.

Thanks for listening, see you on the mats!

My Inspiring Hero

I decided to put my other blog on hold for now, as Sifu Cosgrove put out a challenge (sort of) to share what has inspired us. I think this is very important, as I think we all take a lot for granted, and I know for me, I do not spend enough time to just sit back and appreciate.

My cousin Nicky, and her son, Brady, have been a great source of Awe, Appreciation, and Inspiration for me. I wanted to share her story.

Nicky grew up with a lot of responsibility in helping to raise her brother. Her parents had divorced, dad moved to another province, and mom needed to work full time to provide, so she was left with her brother a good part of the time. My cousin Joey, is borderline down syndrome, he is currently 43, but has the mentality of about a 16 year old. He is a sweet person, and will do anything for anyone, but he will never be a fully capable adult to support himself. She is still a second mother to him.
This is not why she is my hero.

Nicky planned early on to not have children of her own, due to she would always have a child in her life to help raise. Then at 38 years of age, she found out she was pregnant. She did have mixed feelings at first, but welcomed this wonderful surprise. 
About 4 months into her pregnancy she found out her baby had down syndrome. Of course it was upsetting news, but she never had a doubt that this baby was a gift.

This is where Nicky becomes my hero.
For the next several months, she fought hard to keep her baby. Not because she was at risk of losing the baby, but because the healthcare system still views down syndrome as a strain on the system. They are in Manitoba, and I am not sure if this holds true in Alberta as well.  She would have phone calls day and night, day in and day out, to try to persuade her to terminate her pregnancy. She never wavered, not for a second, and fought the hardest fight she ever had.

The day Brady was born, she was not welcomed with excitement and endearment from the nurses and doctors, but rather your baby will never walk, never talk, and had a life expectancy of about 6 years. Brady had other health concerns as well, as is often the case with down syndrome babies, and being higher risk with later in life pregnancies.

She fought the system, finally found a caring pediatrician, and health care workers to help her, not hinder her. She has never been negative, holds no resentment, and loves life with Brady, and her husband, every single day. Yes, there are struggles, and disappointments, but she treats them all as gifts.

Brady today has just finished elementary school (grade 5 in Manitoba), and is very much looking forward to middle school. He is an avid baseball player, and fan. Probably the biggest Blue Jay fan I have ever met! He has been invited to play in the Blue Jays baseball camps, and this past year was named a Blue Jays hero, and was in their commercials.
He is so Smart!! He is an all around sports fan, has read every book on Hockey, and Baseball, and can probably tell you every stat out there. He runs a B+ to A average in school, and soaks up everything he can. He loves life.

These 2 people are heroes to me. They take adversity and negativity and turn it into opportunity and love.

Thank you for listening, and I hope everyone can share the hero in their life.