The Chi Kung classes are over. We have learned all 5 of the animal forms, and can now practice them on our own. Sifu Oslvik reccommendes minimum once daily, optimum twice daily. Watching Sifu Olsviks perfect stances, grace of movement and strength of centre has inspired me to make Chi Kung part of my daily routine over the next year. In actual fact, I have started planning for my post black belt test life, whether it be as a sihing or a sifu. The students at Silent River have inspired much of that planning. Oddly, it is the students still in their 20's or very early 30's who make up the bulk of my inspirers. The one's in China, stunt school, or back in Stony setting up business based on their passions and pursuits have had a deep impact on myself, and how I nurture my own two daughters' dreams, characters and passions.

But first things first, I guess; and there's still two weeks of intense training left in my pre-test life. I was thinking about that as I was training at servus place this morning. Sometimes I get really annoyed with sifu Brinker. How is it that he convinced me that I needed a black belt? If I had known that it would involved turning my priorities inside out and such a crazy schedule these last months, I never would have considered the challenge. How is it that I won't give up? Why is it that I am prepared to spend this entire day, for example, doing kung fu? This has to be insane. I have bruises all over my body, a mildly sprained left ankle and swollen knee and ankle joints from aggravating the osteoarthritis. I am using my cane to attack my best friend in our coreographed applications, when I'd rather use it to hobble over to my car and go home. My car is a mess, the laundry needs doing, I have missed Janet's volleyball games, Bert is doing all the housework. Yet here I am, doing pushups, chinups, situps, kicks and stairs on a sunday morning when I'd rather be napping. But then, as I walked over to the chinup bar and the stairs in the north corner of the servus place running track, Jill comes up behind me and asks "Mom are you done?" She has just finished a pretty good 40 minute workout herself, designed for her badminton game. She is red faced, and sweaty and figures she's done her workout; I am still huffing from the kicks. I tell her that I have stairs and chinups yet. "I guess I could do arm work: I haven't done that today.", she replies. We compare our arm muscles, and note that mine are harder and more bulgy, and then we move on with our workouts. I think to myself, "That is exactly what I want to be as a mum. Someone who can still inspire and raise the bar by example, even when my girls approach the peak of their physical abilities. What better way for a parent to show their children what it takes to realize their potential and achieve their dreams?

Thanx once again sifu Brinker.