Saturday, July 11, 2009

Kung Fu update

Last year I did a self-actualization survey, basically where you look at where you are and where you want to go in life - what do you want to accomplish or do to bring meaning and joy into your world? I wrote down a list of about ten things I'd like to accomplish in life that would bring me purpose and meaning.

One of the items on my list was to get really good at a martial art. To get good at one of these, you have to start at ground level and work your way up, and it doesn't happen very quickly. I would have studied a Japanese art called Shorinji Kempo, but there is no school for that here in Raleigh. But I did find a really good Shaolin Kung Fu instructor just down the road from my house, so in October of last year I started studying Kung Fu at the Kung Fu Center with Master Chen.

He is a really good teacher and I have been enjoying the classes. Bri remembers that I used to always talk about going to the Wah Lum school in Orlando (a big temple type place), but I never got around to it for one reason or another. I've missed a week here and there due to other committments or simple fatigue from every day life, but have stuck with it. My classmates are all at least 15 years younger than me, in some cases 28 years younger than me. But that is OK. We are all grasshoppers at one thing or another in time.

Today I passed the Copper Eagle test and moved up to Silver Eagle. We don't have a belt system, but animals and colors - copper silver gold / eagle tiger dragon. Copper Eagle - beginner, Gold Dragon - expert.



It's never to late to learn a new skill.

3 comments:

Angela said...

Congratulation young grasshopper.

boz said...

You look like David Carradine there, boyo. We're not going to find you hanging in the closet with a smile on your face any time soon, I hope!

martygaal said...

No auto erotic asphyxiation for me!