A beginners class.

Today we went to the "brown playground" aka Kraft Family Athletic center AKA Harry Downes field. Or rather the playground right next to it. It was close so we did tricycles there. Before, and now that we are back, this seemed and seems like a good idea. I do not know how many times I have to have this stressful experience and actually write it down before I will learn that Jonah should not ride a tricycle TO anywhere. (probably his driving skills or lack thereof are from me) Once we get there, cool. But not trips with required destinations. Noah did most of it himself. (I guess his driving skills come from Grace.)

I had decided to do a beginners Kung Fu class today. As much as I could anyway. I have noticed that I have been attracted to other Martial Arts or disciplines recently. Mainly because I am seeking a way to be a beginner again I think. There was my fascination with Japanese swords, there was me thinking of doing Brazilian Jiu Jistu, not because of the actual martial aspect of it, but wrestling martial arts seems like a good way to socially interact, let off steam, and not get hurt. Where as sparring with White Crane, or even Push hands, even with friends, is extremely dangerous.
Plus I would imagine that even a game with rules, like Olympic wrestling is dangerous when done at the athlete level, even middle school and high school.


But Martial Arts, in our society is something that middle aged people, or even old people, often pick up for the first time without any sort of previous athletic ability. I guess I am seeking to be one of those guys, who came into Woo Ching White Crane when I was a teen and had to be taught by me. But this type of thing has to happen at a playground. And the "brown playground" is the best place because my children are occupied.

But who will teach me?


So I ended up giving myself a beginners class. Starting off with meditation. Before when I worked out at the park, I would try to give myself advanced workouts doing all sorts of things at once. Martial Application, stretching, cardio, and strength training.

Because I could get it done quicker.
Because I don't have time for a basics class.
Because I am a Sifu and even if I do basic stuff I want to do it in a Sifu's way.
Because I'm lazy.
Because it's boring.
Because I've done my fill of basics classes.
Because my children will interrupt me and there is so much I won't get done.

Well, I noticed that ever since I started writing first thing in the morning instead of Kung Fu ing, I have actually gone days without doing my own work out.

The beginners class has a lot of breaks and resting and all that and takes two hours, I now realize there is value both in all of that resting (it enables you to do the workout for two hours) and also in the fact that it is two hours long.

I've read about two hour Yoga sessions, I think a REM cycle is two hours, and a "see sun" is two hours. Two hours is about one twelfth of a day, a rotation of the earth. There are twelve seasons. And even though we have ten fingers and use a system of counting  based on 10, look at your hand. On your four long fingers (not your thumb) each finger is divided into three parts. Or you could say there are three lines. Ancients dragged their thumb along these sections to calculate things. To count, like an abacus on your hand. 12 is significant. Two hours is significant.

But none of those above reasons made me realize this. It was walking through the Flume Gorge and arriving at our starting point about 2 hours later. I felt, for some reason that it was as if we had left that starting point Years ago. And then I thought about how most movies are two hours long, and that after you emerge from it, it is like you are returning to another reality you left behind to live a whole other lifetime. And that the REM cycle is about two hours.

That's when I decided I would try the beginners class for two hours, with rests and all that. After all a movie is not all action. It starts with an introduction (meditation) there is some warming up, like stretching. Then there is some action. like walking basics. And those walking basics were harder on my stance then I figured. I suppose my legs are weaker. Grace did comment that they were skinnier. And that walking around in between basics was important. I was tired, but not fatigued, and perfectly able to watch my children. And the breaks in between the stretching/calisthenics, and the drinking of water, the lounging around like I used to at the old school was fun. I even heard the voices of old chinese people talking. Though at the playgroung it was in Mandarin. I got to be doing my thing, and also being where I was. relaxing. The heat made me feel like my first classes at Tai Tung too. Because I started at Woo Ching White Crane in the summer.

It was like I was a new student in my own school where I was also the Sifu. Having no Sifu to bow to, I bowed to my children. That's right I did the whole ritualized OCD beginners class with bowing, doing the opening before basics and all that, like a crazy person, or an extreme beginner that does all of these things because he can't do anything else. My punches and other strikes were basic drills, without combative dodging and moving. I decided I was going to "go through the motions."

It was great.

I felt like such a beginner but then deep inside I felt Chi working and even though on the outside I was that 14 year old beginner with my 30 year old SIfu self guiding me I was, sometimes doing something more advanced.


When more people arrived I stopped bowing to my kids, because it was weird. Instead I would close my eyes and put my hands up in the bowing position, and I imagined my Sifu sitting there, where he would usually sit, in his chair (which somehow gained Cathedra type status although it was just an old Chinese Restaurant chair that some restaurant probably tossed and everyone knew it) next to the hot plates and cooking equipment that was our makeshift kitchen. It was a quick bow into the past and then I opened my eyes into the present of a playground.

After Standing basics (100 each, just the refular ones, no more no less) I did walking basics, just 50 each. Because that's what I would have done. I took the breaks drinking water out of my metal thermos that had a top like a Chinese tea cup in size. And that felt good too. I walked around I lounged. I tried to get my sons to speak Mandarin to the Chinese girls their age, essentially announcing my Chinese-ness, and then I got to do the basic luk lik form.

Then I had a conversation with Randy.

Randy is 66 years old. So it is hard for me to call him Randy even in writing. I feel like I know him, though we never had a conversation, because he is always running around the track by the playground. No matter what the temperature is. He had done that today earlier in the morning, but now he was at the playground with his grandchildren. I told him that I really was impressed with how he consistently did his running and I envied that discipline. I know that if I did Kung Fu like that, consistently, the same thing, not too fast but not too slow... well that's what I am now trying to do and what I aim to do. Plus I know it is possible.

He told me that he used to love watching David Carradine on the show "Kung Fu" We talked. It was fun. It was a social thing I haven't go to do in a long time. Especially with older men who had stories to tell me that I valued. Perhaps I was mentally asking for this somehow and that's how I got it.

Then I went back to forms. I only got up to Chasing fist, and of course no weapons forms, before I had to leave.

But it was a nice experience.

Then it was back home for lunch. I put on the TV and put out crayons and paper for them to draw afterwards, because I noticed that seemed to be all one needed from my experience at Doctor's offices. Plus Noah told Grace he missed drawing yesterday. Plus, as I watched Super Why and Jonah parrotted stuff and said, "I really like 'ock' words" and realized that this particular type of TV was important for them to watch.
And now I am needed.