Nurture the Silence

My first two week vacation in years. In preparation for this time with my 18 and 16 year old daughters, my dog and the husband, I gathered the felt pens, coloring pencils, and abstract art and stain glass coloring books. This evening we all sat round the counter and colored. Bert sat in his chair, tending the fire in the wood stove and stroking the dog's fur.

A great silent space holds all of nature in its embrace. It also holds you.
Eckhart Tolle.

UBBT7: A Review - Part 1

Essentially, the purpose of UBBT8 remains the same as for UBBT7 – to develop and nurture the body, the mind, and the spirit, and to maintain and develop mastery of martial arts. A qualitative review of my UBBT7 goals helps me to build a UBBT8 program that will work better for me. By looking at the purpose behind my goals, and then assessing whether or not the goals helped me achieve the larger purpose, as well as analyzing why or why I didn’t succeed will be a great help in building a better set of goals for UBBT8. Today, I would like to focus on the body aspect of my UBBT. To be sure, I both succeeded and failed spectacularly in this area.

1. 100 hours of self- propelled travel (cycle, spin, walk, kayak). My life changed as a result of achieving this goal, and it helped me to fulfill a promise that I have made to myself and then broken many times in my life. The cycling/spinning got me into shape so that I was able to participate in two 100km rides. I was also able to begin doing the type of travel that is in my bucket list of things to do before I die. Ultimately, cycling the Silk Road is a long way off from taking a cycle trip in Austin, Texas, but it’s a lot closer than breaking another promise. Note to self: Increase hours for UBBT8, and head to Philadelphia this August for another LIVESTRONG CHALLENGE RIDE.
2. 52,000 Pushups: Sifu Brinker stressed that this goal was a way of staying engaged in the test. It was something mindless, yet not effortless, that one could do every day and anywhere. Two problems. I had not bought into the idea that pushups were a way of staying engaged. Actually, I found that mindful or mindless knitting or cycling fulfilled this purpose more effectively. The other problem was that pushups hurt, and doctors advised that my shoulders and neck needed a break. I tried to replace the pushups with a workout that developed the neck, arm, shoulders and back muscles for cycling – but that required more time and equipment than was convenient. I feel that I have hit a wall regarding pushups. I really believe that resuming them will only aggravate my osteoarthritis and injure my rapidly aging body. I think it is unwise. At the first UBBT8 meeting yesterday, Sifu Brinker employed his masterful skills of persuasion, and actually had me considering preparing for the 1000 pushup challenge on January 1, 2011. After sleeping on it, and considering the dilemma under the clear light of a new day, my strongest thought is that accepting the pushup challenge of roughly 150 per day, for a total of 52,000 pushups may be met with some success at first, but finally, it will result in failure. I’m thinking of lowering this goal, but not completely giving up on it.
3. 52,000 Situps: In truth, my purpose behind the pushups and situps was to maintain my core. Core is great for martial arts, for cycling, and for injury prevention. And, for almost two years I was able to enjoy the flatness of my stomach and the definition in my arms because I did the sit ups and push ups as well as chin ups and squat thrusts on a daily basis. When the pushups fell away, so did the situps. Such is the ease with which good habits fall by the wayside. Note to self: Make sit-ups part of a daily routine which includes squat thrusts.
4. Drink no coffee: To my surprise, there were absolutely no bumps impeding my success in this area. I did not drink any coffee at all! I plan to continue this goal.
5. Maintain healthy weight and eating through Weightwatchers. Some bumps in the road on this one, but ultimately success. The new Weightwatchers PointsPlus program was introduced at last week’s meeting, and it will make it much easier, because fruits now have no point value: like vegetables, we can eat as much fruit as we want. Protiens are encouraged more. Eating whole foods will be a whole lot easier.

Claire Finnamore
Student Member, Silent River Kung Fu

ACK!!! 33 days left to complete!

Life so busy. Not a moment to spare. Still here though. Almost an hour a day of self propelled travel required. And the same goes for that knitting meditaion. Will she make it ? Finish strong.

Claire Finnamore
Student Member, Silent River Kung

It Takes a Village . . .

A couple of weekends ago, whilst participating in the Habitat for Humanity project in Stony Plain, I ran into a lady I know who coaches girls club volleyball in Spruce Grove. She was also volunteering at the Habitat project. I've often been puzzled by this lady. She's a young single mother of an elementary school aged boy. She works full time. And for years, she's volunteered much of her time running the local volleyball club, and coaching a team of girls who are my own daughter's age. The reason I've been puzzled by this lady is because, 9 times out of 10, volunteer coaches are in it because they have a daughter or son on the team, or they are young education students adding coaching to their resumes. Very few people coach out of the love of the sport, or the goodness of their hearts. The lady in question seems to have been coaching girls volleyball for reasons other than personal gain. And I've often wondered how, as a single working mother, she finds the time, the energy, and the dedication to do such a wonderful thing for her community.

Janet and I went to sign up for club try-out this weekend, and once again I ran into the lady I am taling about. I asked her how she liked doing the volunteer work at Habitat, and whether she does it often. "Well, actually," she said, " I do it every weekend. My son and I are one of the recipient families for the Habitat project in Spruce Grove. We just moved into our home last weekend."

Awesome.

NEWS BRIEF: Two Canadian Gals Participate in Cycling Challenge

Austin, Texas
October 26, 2010

This weekend, just over 5,400 people from 10 countries participated in the Lance Armstrong Challenge to fight cancer. Participants chose to walk, run, or cycle distances of 5km, 20 miles, 45 miles, 65 miles or 90 miles and through the generosity of their sponsors raised $3.1 million toward the fight against cancer. Staff reporter, Liv Strong, caught up with two gals, Sifu Claire Finnamore, and Sihing Julie Lilienskold, who travelled all the way from Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada to participate in this amazing event.

Liv: You all gals came all the way from Canada!!! That has to be the farthest anyone's come to ride in the Austin Challenge.

Julie: I think so. But we flew down. There were 36 riders that cycled down from Vancouver. And we met some cyclists from Toronto and Calgary.

Liv: So how many miles did you all ride?

Claire: We participated in the 65 mile ride, which in Canadian, translates to about 103km.

Liv: A Hundred and three kilometers!! Are you all crazy? There couldn't have been many that were insane enough to go that distance!

Julie: Just under half of the 3100 cyclists did 65 miles or more, actually.

Liv: Well how long did that take you all to finish?

Claire: It took us 7.5 hours, and we definitely finished at the back of the pack. but that's not the point. We were there to spend the day cycling, to enjoy the event and the people, and the feeling of being a part of a worthwhile cause.

Julie: It was great, being a part of a health-care movement and a catalyst for better cancer care and education across the globe. Did you know that this movement has pioneered programs around the world for survivors; worked to unify the fractured cancer community; and instigated a worldwide crusade which includes the United Nations and the Clinton Global Initiative to make the world's No. 1 Killer a health-care priority?

Claire: And being amongst so many people: survivors, activists, supporters, and patients. It was really a great feeling. And so inspiring to be meet people who, after being so sick, or losing husbands, wives, sons, mothers, best friends and heroes - they still had such strength and determination to fight back. There were cyclists who rode the 90 mile ride who had lost one or both legs to cancer. They had some pretty technical looking prothesis'. And they finished ahead of us!

Julie: Some of the survivors looked so fit. Like hard-core triatheletes. I just can't imagine what they went through to bring themselves back from the ravages done to their body by cancer and cancer treatment. It was so inspiring to see them participating. The teams were really amazing. I met one group of young guys. Every year for the last three years, they ride in memory of their buddy's father. Can you imagine the empowerment that kind of support gives to someone who loses a loved-one to cancer?

Claire: And to cancer patients??? I met a team of about 12 walkers who were pushing a cancer patient in a wheelchair for the 5km walk. Can you imagine the amount of 'fight' that can inject into someone? Being surrounded not only by 12 people who really want you there, and also by thousands of others fighting back too.

Liv: Tell me about the actual route you rode. What did you all like best about it?

Claire: Well, it was all out in the back country roads. Very hilly but incredibly peaceful. I loved the warm humid breeze, the smell of cedar, hearing chickens and roosters as we passed family dwellings. The county sherrifs waiting patiently by their vehicles to direct traffic as the cyclists made their way along the route. The cactus plants and the scenery. That's the thing: this wasn't a race - it was an opportunity to live in the moment.

Julie: I guess that's part of the reason we came in close the back of the pack. We weren't worried about how fast we could speed down the hills, or how hard the next hill was going to be. We just took our time and enjoyed what was right in front of us. Like the armadillo that tried to cross the road. I'm not sure how many of us actually saw that armadillo, but I'm so glad I got the chance to see one up close. He scurried back to the side of the road pretty quick and I was so relieved that he didn't become another Texas speed bump.

Liv: Well I'm so glad it was such a positive experience. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me. And, you all come back next year, you hear?

Claire: Absolutely!!

Julie: Without a doubt.

Liv: LIVESTRONG!

Pinch Drunk

Wow, last post was a long one. Here is something a bit shorter. One of my UBBT7 goals is to read 6 books on meditation. Just finished my third one; Genuine Happiness: Meditation as the Path to Fulfillment, by B. Alan Wallace. This is Buddhist meditation, and I got ALOT out of it. Too much to soak in in just one read. Highly reccommend this book, but here is an excerpt I really liked.

"Very recently I was surprised and delighted to find that I could hover at will in midair. This felt so real that I was confident I wasn't dreaming, but I pinched myself just to test my assumption. Sure enough, I felt the pinch on my leg, which reinforced my conviction that I really could levitate. I later worke up, though, and since then I haven't been able to become airborne again. So either I was dreaming I could levitate, or I'm now in the midst of a prolonged dream in which I seem to be grounded for life."

After reading this, I realized two things. First, I've often had dreams about being able to hover in mid-air. In fact, its one of my most pleasant dreams, and I've always taken it as a FACT, that I can hover in mid air, and that I enjoy it. Never questioned it, not in my dreams, and not in my awake time. Second, in my dreams, I often do pinch myself to test whether I am dreaming or not. I don't think I've ever pinched myself in my awake time, except to stop myself from falling asleep.

Claire Finnamore, Student Member, Silent River Kung Fu.

Living Hero

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm proud that Silent River Kung Fu supports SCARS (Second Chance Animal Rescue Society).

I've had a chance over the last month to get to know about SCARS up close and personal. We are adopting a puppy from SCARS, after a year of going without one in our family. We've had three dogs: Bob was a really dumb dalmation - we had him for 16 years; Joe came from the SPCA and was very smart - we had him for 18 years; our last dog, Roxy, also came from the SPCA and though she was an incredible escape artist, and loved to herd anything that moved, including cows, llammas and Great Danes, we kept her safe for 7 years until she went after a pack of coyotes and never came back. We consider ourselves pretty responsible dog owners, with an excellent track record. As a family, we treat our pets as one of us, and so the dogs have had the run of the house, and have been included in our conversations. When we signed up with SCARS to adopt an eight week old puppy, we didn't expect too much trouble.

Then we met Deb.

Deb is a full time,hard-core volunteer for the non-profit society and dedicates close to 40 hours a week contributing to the well-being of the animals that are rescued by other SCARS volunteers. Deb is very much involved in the administrative duties required to keep the society running, and she also fosters some of the most wounded and broken dogs herself. It involves taking the dogs into her home, spending alot of time visiting the vet, and alot of love and patience as she and her family rehabilitate the dogs so that they can be adopted. Within a span of five years, her devoted family of five has fostered over 90 dogs.

But you have to meet this lady, to get the full picture. I first spoke to Deb on the phone when she interviewed us prior to allowing us to be considered as eligible to adopt one of the puppies that she was caring for in her home. Deb didn't like what she heard and was not sure that we were suitable potential dog owners. The thing that bothered her was that we had admitted that both Bert and I worked full time, and our daughter at home attended full time schooling. Deb didn't feel that the puppy would get the attention it required during the first six months of its life. She was worried about pee schedules, and the puppy getting lonely.

Bert and I were taken aback. We've had three happy dogs; two died of old age. Our home is set up for dogs - with a large dog-run, fancy new insulated dog house, lots of space in the house and outside, a llamma and 3 goats to talk to, and even a stupid 7 year old turkey to harrass. WE ARE GOOD DOG OWNERS!!! We figured that Deb was taking her mission a little too seriously - a bit of a fanatic. Perhaps a little socially inept. A little 'High on Her Horse'. Some sort of crusader. But we bit our lips, worked something out with Deb, and she agreed to let us meet our puppy the next week.

Deb lives in a smallish house in Edmonton. She and her husband have 3 children. They've adopted 5 dogs. When we arrived at her house we had to step of baby gates, music stands, furniture and dogs to get to the laundry room, where the ten puppies and their mother were set up. Surprisingly, the house did not smell of dog. It was clean and cozy, yet crammed with dog stuff, kid stuff, volunteer stuff, and school stuff. The dogs (all 16 of them) looked healthy, relaxed, and sociable. The 3 kids were friendly, and showed love and compassion with the animals. Didn't see the husband.

Deb turned out to be exactly what we had expected - and this is a good thing. It becomes immediately apparent that Deb and her family loves and cares for each dog as an individual, and will do everything in their power to ensure that they lead the happy lives that they deserve. During our first visit Deb sized us up and down several times over. She worried about some things, and was relieved to learn other things about us. It was a process for her, of allowing herself to become convinced that we would really care for our new dog - that she could release the puppy to us. Until she was convinced, she didn't really relax. And she judged. Deb was clearly relieved to know that we would be popping by over the next week, to drop off a blanket or toy, and to just visit and play. The following week, we could not make it out to visit - she was uncomfortable with that, but then made allowances that we lived so far away, and had to drive up to Whitecourt with our daughter.

Because of Deb, I've really stopped to think through some things. Indeed, there is room for improvement in how well we train our new puppy and what I am willing to do for her during the first 6 months of her life. That's a good thing. Lizzie (that's our puppy's name) will be old enough to leave her mother (and Deb) in 6 more days. I think about her every day.

The SCARS mandate is to reduce the number of homeless and abused animals in Northern Alberta. This is one of the reasons Deb is so passionate about her work with SCARS. "We take in just over 400 animals in a year, and there are lots more out there,' she says. "It's a huge job, and it's going to take years and years to gradually change the mindset of people'. "We're making a difference in a dog's life, and we're giving that dog a second chance."

Ninety foster dogs. One devoted family. We need more people like Deb.

Claire Finnamore
Student Member
Silent River Kung Fu