The Moment

I would like to touch on the concept of living in the moment. Master Brinker has brought this up lately and it is something I am challenging myself to do.

It will be 10 years this year that I have been walking through the door of the Silent River Kung fu organization. I certainly have not been there from the beginning but I have been around long enough to see alot of people come and go. That being said, over the years I have kept a fairly low profile. Before my son was born I was heavily involved in all the demos and tournaments but kept my interaction with my peers and Sifus "strictly business with light conversation". That, of course, was my own doing as I tend not to be very outgoing.

Last night at the Blackbelt promotion ceremony I realized how many people were going to be moving on this year. Nothing really new, however, some of these individuals are key players at Silent River. My first thought is they will truly be missed and regret not getting to know them better as people. My second thought is change is in the wind again, for their positions will be filled by up and coming talents.

This is where living in the moment becomes important to me. So many times in the past I have been guilty of hearing people talk to me but for one reason or another I am not really listening. I get caught up in the "things I need to do" and start thinking about my agenda in the back of my head and how this person is taking up more of my time then I had scheduled for! Terrible and shame on me!

I need to recognize that every conversation, every interaction is an opportunity to get to know the people around me. There is alot of wisdom, experiences, adversities overcome by others and just plain good humor that is past by when the moments you share with one another are only superficial.

What good are short term goals and long term goals if you don't savour the moments along the way. I think part of UBBT underlying goal is to overfill your plate that it forces you to interact with your colleagues for support and network with others and you finally get the picture that there is strength in numbers and strength for the individual through those numbers.

Anyways , I getting off on a tangent, the point is live in the moment when dealing with one another, you will find you will walk away with more than you bargained for.

As for changes in Silent River Kung fu school. If it was the same as it was the first year I was there I guarantee I would have left long time ago. The fact that the school is so dynamic is what keeps you coming back for more, growth, new faces,old faces, new community challenges and new personal challenges.

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Canada