Dedication

Over the years I know a few of my friends have made comments about how much of my life I dedicate to kung fu. For the longest time I did not even think about what they were saying nor did I delve for any deeper insight. I think, at those particular times, I agreed with them and left things at that. Kung fu has always been an investment and, like any investment, a return is expected. If the return justifies the investment the decision is a no-brainer.

Now older and wiser, I realize how far off the mark those comments are. In fact they are 180 degrees out of phase with my reality. I do not dedicate my life to my kung fu, I dedicate my kung fu to my life. Everything I do and everything I have — I can see kung fu’s influence.

I may encourage my students to take their kung fu out of the kwoon and into the world but inevitably it goes beyond that. My life is my kwoon.

“Our teachers did not give us a clear explanation of the kata from old times. I must find the features and meaning of each form by my own study and effort, by repeating the exercises of form through training.” – Tsuyoshi Chitose (1898 - 1984)

It's Now

My mindfulness practice has me in a consistent cycle of evaluation and simplification. Without my practice, mediocrity has a way of permeating into my life unnoticed; covertly complicating what should be simple.  Without habitual reflection, my reflex becomes reaction. 

Life is simple, or at least it should be simple. Things get complicated when I forget what is important. Where I live is not important; how I live is.  What I want is not important; why I want it is. My future is affected by what I do today but tomorrow is not guaranteed. The only real commodity is time and the only time I have, or will ever have, is right now. 

“Every thought you produce, anything you say, any action you do, it bears your signature.” - Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926) 

Life Meditation

The more you apply yourself to meditating/thinking/praying about the unavoidable fact of death, the easier it is to embrace it.

The yin yang is a wonderful tool that I use in every difficult situation. There is no life without death. By accepting life, you MUST accept death. Through our reluctance to accept death, we are not accepting life to its fullest.

Everyone has a different approach to coping with the concept of death. Some gravitate to the concept of eternal life after death in one form or another. What most do not realize though is that their strategy may help them put the concept of death into a format that allows them to ignore it, but sometimes it does not help them to truly appreciate and experience the life they have left.

For me mindfulness is the best way for me to accept the realities of death and therefore maximize the life I have remaining available to me. Living in the present moment is the only way to truly experience life. Accepting death allows me to appreciate life and motivates me to stay mindful of what I am experiencing and how I choose to experience it. I am not locked in my mind worrying about something that I cannot control, nor am I agonizing about missed opportunities or mistakes of my past. There is just now and I do my best to celebrate every moment with gratitude.


“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” — Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)

Death Meditation

From the moment I was conceived, I have been on the path of death. The inevitability of age, sickness, and death are guaranteed for everyone. It matters not what your income is. These certainties are independent of your religion, your race, or your status. There is peace to be found in this truth yet we spend a large portion of the finite time we have in this life running from this reality.

It is in my nature to grow old. It is in my nature to get sick. It is in my nature to die. Nothing is as liberating as acknowledging my unavoidable nature. By embracing death, I am embracing life to the fullest. Perhaps that is why I am so at peace when I ride a motorcycle. I am keenly aware of the danger and risk associated with the activity so I am equally more aware of living and being alive — here and now.

“I shall not die of a cold. I shall die of having lived.” - Willa Cather (1873 - 1947) 

Now What?

The provincial government has announced phase 2 of our second reopening. As with every other announcement coming from this government concerning this pandemic, it will take a while to decipher the intent behind their announcement. It always takes a day or two to confirm whether or not we are affected and how.

From what I have been able to discern so far, we can open up as long as we do not have high intensity workouts, everyone wears a mask, and we maintain 3 metres distance from each other. This is only a small step up from allowing private one on one lessons.

To be clear, I am not an advocate for a partial reopening. The economy, or anyone’s house for that matter, is not worth a single life. Our premier has proven that poor leadership prolongs the effects of a pandemic. Businesses like mine are experiencing death by 1000 cuts. We were the first to be shutdown and we will be the last to open up. If we all worked together and handled this decisively, this pandemic could be behind us.

“Decisiveness is a characteristic of high-performing men and women. Almost any decision is better than no decision at all.” - Brian Tracy (b. 1944)