What has kung fu done for me?

I hated this question when I tested for my Black Belt. I spent months trying to answer this question in my head and when it came time to express it publicly for the school banquet I completely deviated from my written speech and improvised.

So now the topic has come up again, this time its seems ridiculously easy to reply.

Kung fu hasn't done anything for me...Silent River Kung Fu has done everything for me.

Now before you think I am trying to score points with the big guy, I am seriously not the type to go to that kind of trouble.

The fact is, over the years as many people have found out I practiced a martial art the comments and questions were always the same..."What style do you train in?" "What belt level are you?" ..."Yeah , I tried karate for a while, it was boring after a while" or "Yeah, I was in taekwondo, but the school was all about tournaments" or my favorite" Yeah, I took martial arts a few years ago, but the instructor was weird, he let his pet snake crawl around the floor while we did push ups! I quit after that..."

My point is, its not the particular martial art, its the school supporting the martial art.

I know I am super lucky to have stumbled across Silent River Kung Fu. I did not research the school or the owner or even watch a few classes before joining. I think there are lots of good schools but very few extraordinary schools.

So what is SRKF doing for me. It has reinforced work ethic, discipline to achieve any goal I set my mind to. I have not only learnt empathy for others but now I practice it. It has put me in a global frame of mind and reminds me every week to think outside of my little bubble.

I think it is important to attend on a regular basis because you are given a gentle reminder(and sometimes not so gentle) of these concepts to keep in front of you when you are out dealing with the civilians of your world!

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta Canada