i have been slacking of late, but only on this blog. after that last post things got to kind of a fever pitch of internal struggling awfulness, and i finally decided i needed to do something. and that something was.....
KUNG FU!
yup. the same dojo where i've been doing Tai Chi twice a week offers daily kung fu training. just drop in anytime before 12 and 7 and you will get to kick your own butt for the low low price of an additional $20/month. who could say no that?
its actually been really really awesome. it is definitely the most consistently physically challenging thing i've ever done, and i regularly believe myself to be at my limit and find out that...i'm not! i realized today that one thing i love about it, even though it regularly destroys me, is that it is the one place in my life where i get to show up, every day (M-F), be welcomed with kind sincerity, be pushed to my limits, and the whole time know exactly what i'm supposed to be doing. almost everywhere else and everything else i do includes some nagging voice--"you're not working hard/fast enough, your being awkward, you don't know enough, you did that wrong, you should be doing X, Y, Z, not J, K, L." and on and on. at the dojo, its super simple (though not easy). 150 crescent kicks on the bag GO. and that's it. and much as i may not want to, all that there is to do in that moment is do those F@#%ing kicks. and when i feel like i just can't, then pause. and go right back to them.
its also been awesome to have this physical outlet--because my anger tends to run hot and just under the surface. its likely pretty old, unresolved stuff that gets triggered. but i'll tell you what, punching a bag 1000 times in a day will take all that anger right out. puts things in perspective.
and, i feel stronger; physically, of course but more importantly, mentally and emotionally. the same issues are still here. feeling lonely, isolated, a bit at drift in the world. self doubt, self-loathing, judgments towards me and everyone. but its easier to just let them be what they are and not get as thoroughly sucked into their vortex of unsolvable mental and emotional tornadoes.
i even appreciate the physical contact, something i'm not getting all that much of these days.
plus, my teacher is super badass.
KUNG FU!
yup. the same dojo where i've been doing Tai Chi twice a week offers daily kung fu training. just drop in anytime before 12 and 7 and you will get to kick your own butt for the low low price of an additional $20/month. who could say no that?
its actually been really really awesome. it is definitely the most consistently physically challenging thing i've ever done, and i regularly believe myself to be at my limit and find out that...i'm not! i realized today that one thing i love about it, even though it regularly destroys me, is that it is the one place in my life where i get to show up, every day (M-F), be welcomed with kind sincerity, be pushed to my limits, and the whole time know exactly what i'm supposed to be doing. almost everywhere else and everything else i do includes some nagging voice--"you're not working hard/fast enough, your being awkward, you don't know enough, you did that wrong, you should be doing X, Y, Z, not J, K, L." and on and on. at the dojo, its super simple (though not easy). 150 crescent kicks on the bag GO. and that's it. and much as i may not want to, all that there is to do in that moment is do those F@#%ing kicks. and when i feel like i just can't, then pause. and go right back to them.
its also been awesome to have this physical outlet--because my anger tends to run hot and just under the surface. its likely pretty old, unresolved stuff that gets triggered. but i'll tell you what, punching a bag 1000 times in a day will take all that anger right out. puts things in perspective.
and, i feel stronger; physically, of course but more importantly, mentally and emotionally. the same issues are still here. feeling lonely, isolated, a bit at drift in the world. self doubt, self-loathing, judgments towards me and everyone. but its easier to just let them be what they are and not get as thoroughly sucked into their vortex of unsolvable mental and emotional tornadoes.
i even appreciate the physical contact, something i'm not getting all that much of these days.
plus, my teacher is super badass.
