Installment 3. Series of Fortunate Events. A short series.

If you’re following the series.. thanks. 

Her name is Shenghong, my Tai Chi teacher. 

Why is it that the people most often renowned for teaching self defense have to profess what rank they have in whatever martial art, or have fought many matches, or have belts in many various arts? It's not the quantity of belt ranks nor the number of arts studied that makes one proficient at self defense. 

Eventually we are all asked that inevitable question, though aren't we? “What style do or did you study?” Maybe just stating your rank and styles studied up front to get it off the table is a good idea. Unless it's just to impress everyone, then its not a good idea…. Or impressive. 

What if you had the chance to learn Tai Chi for someone who learned it in China!? I was already teaching classes in my dojo (that we built with our own hands) when I signed up to learn Tai Chi. It is a soft art…. as if anyone except a martial arts nerd and traditionalist would understand. Karate would be a hard style. 

I had heard of her, the Tai Chi instructor. I knew her as Connie, but her name is Shenghong. Tai Chi Chuan was odd to learn, so different then learning the way I had known. But it’s not just the style that was such a different curve. Being taught by a female in a class that wasn’t combative and militaristically patriarchal was also a part of the different. I enjoyed it as it was meditative. Shenghong would be considered my first female martial arts teacher. 

I took the class several times. She wanted me to teach it at my dojo, but I wasn’t comfortable teaching it unless I really, really knew it. It was a popular class there at the local community college. There were several people in attendance each semester I took it.

One time Shenghong and Kelly, my BFF/Maid of Honor, wanted me to take them hiking. They had never gone before and knew I had, so they wanted me to show them the ropes. That was a very memorable trip. At one point I was working on the fire, doing everything from gathering the rocks to kindling and firewood for our small trail-side fire. It was dusk and getting darker and we had to set up a tent. They both had a borrowed tent that neither had ever set up. So as I was working on the fire task, I was also explaining the details of setting up my tent. It was simple and I had done it enough times that I could easily direct someone else how to do it. What an adventure that weekend was. One of the most precious memories I have to reminisce upon. Lots of laughter, fun and talking. We all survived, but we never got the chance to do it again. 

I had learned skills of hiking from my core instructor. I didn’t really think much of it, but the skill have come in handy many, many times, In lots of different ways. 

I have been very blessed and so very fortunate of the various skill sets I have gained over the years. They all have served me well. Including Tai Chi. 

I was watching video of my last seminar. While teaching the physical skills portion, I was explaining something and my movements mimicked Tai Chi. At least that is what I saw when I watched the video. I had to chuckle. I guess we really do become what we repeatedly do. 

 

So, yeah, I’m happy to say that Tai Chi Chuan, in various forms , are a part of my martial arts training repertoire.  

Installment 2. Series of Fortunate Events. A short series.

Thanks for following the story here to my blog. 😜

Passion isn't always an overwhelming onslaught of energetic enthusiasm. Sometimes it’s the constant burning of a flame that keeps one warm and guided. I never thought of the word passion for the things I enjoy, until recently. It takes me a while to grasp things sometimes. Sorta a slow learner I would say. 

Stepping beyond the humbleness to put myself out there is the objective of this series. 

So many have influenced what I do and how I do it. Education is important. Continued striving to learn more and keep up with the latest. No one gets to where they are alone and sometimes those who influence us do so just by  the way they do their thing. 

Installment 2.  Coach Candrea

Life is variety, and those we cross paths with are always for a reason. Didn't really think about my going out to learn from others was much of a deal. I started coaching softball at 14 when we could no longer play because there was no league for us. Kelly and I loved softball so much that since we could not play, we coached. 

Decades later, when Mr. Coates, my boss and the High School’s VP/Athletic Director came to me and said that softball was being added to the athletics program. He wanted me to be the assistant coach for the first season for the softball/baseball teams. 

I coached alongside Don N. Later that same year I was given a brochure for Mike Candrea’s Coaches Clinic if I wanted to go. In October I was off to  Uof AZ.  What an experience! I felt very comfortable and met some legends, although I didn't realize the enormity of it all at the time. It was at this clinic where I actually learned HOW to coach softball. Coach Candrea is passionate about what he does. 

I coached for 9 years and then stepped away from the field after Kelly passed. I just couldn’t be on the field because I wasn’t sure I could keep myself together. A few years later I was once again asked to step into the coaching position as Head Coach. I accepted. I found another coach’s camp that he was a part of I attended yearly a few years. I am a firm believer that if you really want to be the best at what you do, you need to seek out others who excel in that arena. I spoke to Coach a few times, emailed as well. He always had time to answered. 

If you ever get the opportunity o hear Coach Candrea speak, please take the opportunity. He has many words of wisdom to share. Coach has a code of ethics, integrity and compassion that manifests from him. I sincerely enjoy watching college softball and when UfoU plays Arizona I go watch. The last time I got to watch them play, I emailed Coach and asked if I could get a picture with him after a game. He said sure. 

At the first game I met some diehard AZ Wildcat fans. They asked if I was one as well. I said, “Well, sort of. But it's
more like I am a Coach Candrea fan.” They sure lit up with that comment. They were a couple older gentlemen and started telling me lots of great stores of Coach. Some I already knew. The second game was a day game. After the game I hung out at the dug out as did many many others. I took some pics for others, then I stuck my hand out to Coach and introduced myself, letting him know I was the one that emailed him. I handed my phone to someone to take a pic of us. I was so fan-girling in the moment. 

Coach says if you find something you love doing, you won’t work a day in your life. He is one person I look up to and use to help me maintain integrity in what I do. Softball is my first passion. Spent lots and lots of days on a field in all capacities. Groundskeeper, umpire, coach, stats, announcer any and every thing. I stopped coaching softball for good in 2015. I miss being on the field, throwing the ball and hitting to the players, but isn’t my place any longer. 

The planets aligned just right for me to have been in the presence of this guy. Never underestimate what opportunities may present themselves. Sometimes in the most unassuming ways. Learn all things from all things. Being present in the moment will open those opportunities. 

Take it all in. 

My Journey: Series of Fortunate Events

CHAPTER 1

In no particular order. 

There are so many other people who have been a part of my getting to where I am. No one gets where they are alone. And teachers are not just those at the front of the class leading. They are those sitting next to us at any given moment. 

Seems like most of the people I’ve learned from have been guys. No reason it just worked out that way. When I started in karate back in ’82, there weren't many choices where I lived. I was fortunate to have started my journey with someone who was extremely knowledgeable. I was pushed beyond limits and achieved things I never could have imagined. The martial arts gave me a place to go, a place that not only relieved stress but put my spirit at ease as well. The dojo was always a place to balance my spirit and get me back on track. As new-agey as that sounds, the martial arts kept me out of dark places within myself. 

My core instructor talked a lot. There was a lot of history and other information relayed verbally. He also did not liked to be questioned and when he did not have answers his retaliation for asking such questions was not fun. Do as I say not as I do was the norm. I learned to stand up against all odds because of this guy. 

I also learned that I am the one person I need to trust completely. Others can be counted on, but if I cannot trust myself, my capacity, capability, potential and ability, then I would never be a strong and enduring as necessary. Perseverance and endurance was the mantra that ran through my mind throughout the nearly two decades of training in that system under that guy. That perseverance forged a lot of my reputation. Endurance got me through to the end when it came time to walk away. 

The significance of that early training set the foundation for almost everything else I do and the way I do it. But if I hadn’t already had the character I did, then the lessons learned on the training floor under this dude would not have had the impact it did. 

I know history stories martial arts. I know weaponry. I know dislocations, and broken bones and contusions and concussions. I have a lot in common with many colleagues that trained in the ol’ school manner. No mats and all out. This I hadn’t realized was anything special, it was all I knew. Apparently, from tales shared with non-old school people about some of the adventures, the looks of alarm are hints that not everyone shares the same sentiments about the good ol’ days. 

I learned a lot. But I did not learn how to defend against a predator. I learned to fight in a ring with training partners. Yeah, my training partners hit hard, but their goal was never to take annihilate or assault me. When I realized that what I needed was not a part of the training I had. I needed to figure out some things. The foundation was set and that meant that whatever I chose to build on top of it had a solid base to set upon. 

Grit

It was 11 years ago this weekend that I drove 12 hours to Billings Montana to train with Sgt. Rory Miller. I’d never been to Montana before, but the 8 hr Saturday seminar fell on a weekend that I could make it happen. I had read Meditations on Violence  earlier that year. After reading it I emailed and he answered the email. That was a nice surprise. He said he would let me know if he was doing a seminar in the area.

I have learned  a lot from Rory. I also learned  a lot from my core MA instructor as well as from Phil my first SD instructor. The saying is that steel sharpens steel.

I guess.
However grit polishes rock.

The process of polishing rocks is a long process involving different size grit. You gather rocks and put them in a tumbler. Several steps are needed to create the final product. Starting the process coarse grit rounds the rocks. Smoothing, pre-polishing and finally polishing are the various stages. Many stages, lot and lots of time. Some rocks make it through the tumbling process, some do not.

The dudes I have trained with have been part of the polishing this old rock.
The final stage of rock polishing involves the finest grit to create the end result. The shinny lustrous rocks you see for sale. They don’t come out of the tumbler shinny, they have to be cleaned for that polished look.

The nearly 20 years I was in the traditional martial arts could be considered the rounding process. The skills abilities and knowledge I gained in that rounding stage opened many doors. I was sincerely blessed to have the experiences I did in that system under that instructor.

Leaving the traditional and finding my way to Phil Messina of Modern Warrior gave me the direction I was seeking. He was generous, experienced and so full of information and knowledge. He set the standards for what I do. Phil was the one who pointed me in the direction of Rory by suggesting his Meditations on Violence book.

Rory's stuff is good because it is not prescriptive, its is principle based. I never really analyzed what I do, however when he first stated “You are not a 6 foot guy. Stop trying to fight like one.” I had to figure out what that meant. I fought like the person I was trained by. That is how it was back in the day. We were all trained exactly the same rote way.

Having things pointed out to me from a perspective that sincerely is in the interest of making me better, not just teaching their stuff, certainly has been different. No need to regurgitate, but definitely have to scrutinize and contemplate. A new level and way of learning.

A bonus is the amazing group that I have become a part of. They are truly the fine grit that is a part of the polishing process. There are so many people I don’t think I would have even known of if it were not for Rory. Which is awesome. I have been very fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time.

Thanks man. Thanks for being the grit in my life.
And bringing so many other gritty people into my life. Its been an honor.

500 Rising Movement

First major training of 2021 is in the books. I’ll be headed to Boise soon for the training Joe brings Rory in for. It’s s fun and can’t wait to catch up with the group that goes to that one. At this point, every training is like a family reunion. Plus, it is going to be super extra special for me. But back to the most recent training. 500 Rising.

500 Rising is working to tip the statistics on violence against women. Violence comes in many flavors and its is a tool. It is used because it works. The violence against women is particularly compelling. Ask any female if she’s been in situation that turned uncomfortable to the point where she felt in danger. More than likely she’ll say yes. Ask her how about if she has feared doing anything about such things because the possibility of retaliation kept her from saying or doing anything. Again, she will probably say yep. 

 

Part of attaining the goal of tipping the scale is to train enough people in principle-based skills and data driven information to teach material to women so that they become more capable and confident in recognizing situations before it goes physical. With that, also providing the prowess to handle it. Imagine if we deeply grasped the subtle skills that are our first line of defense. Not only understand them but could deploy the strategies and tactics to implement a plan of action in order to avert a lot of occurrences. It would be hard to pick a good target with so many of us trained.

Being a part of the 500 Rising moment is pretty special for us. To me, it’s kinda like being at the tea party that July 1848, when a small group of women formulated a plan for specific, large-scale action for the first women’s rights convention. Changing the norm will have a ton of push back, especially when it goes against the grain. And when that grain challenges the status quo, push back can be brutal, and yeah, even retaliatory.

We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before and we are gaining momentum. Moving from strength to strength, becoming more resilient and fierce and making others stronger, more resilient and fierce along with us.

 

Kicking Ass & Taking Names... Not Quite

Why is it that when a woman asks for self defense recommendations there are a ton of male instructors and materials all written by guys available? Military backgrounds, muscled up, testosterone fueled dudes. Dudes who most certainly may have been in lots of fights either in the ring or in the bar, faced violence or combat with artillery and gunfire exchange.

Yet if a female happens to get listed or recommend in or for self defense instruction it's always a woman in the martial arts. Some ranked or belted MMA fighter or someone teaching and training in karate, judo, krav, jujitsu, kung fu, taekwondo, whatever...

Self defense is not martial arts.
Women are not mini-men.

The root of women’s self protection lies deep and is much more subtle than kicking ass and taking names. 

Subtle does not mean soft or dainty. 

Subtle as in: not easily detected, cunning, sly or making use of clever and and indirect methods to achieve something; and to be so delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyze or describe, especially of a change or distinction.  *definitions from Oxford Languages.  

Subtle Warrior is self protection and personal defense education for women.

All the overlooked, inconspicuous, hidden, ignored, neglected, glossed-over unobtrusive, unscrutinize, unrecognized, unseen and unconsidered actions we experience in our everyday lives, those are all part of our reality and it is necessary to address them in our personal safety strategies. 

IDK about you, but I have had very few title matches, never street brawled, and am not really likely to come across war zone related violence. All I want to do is get through my day as efficiently and safely an joyfully as possible.

Whether my environment is rural Nevada, or big city Oakland, California, or states like New Mexico, New York. Or just any of the ordinary stops made throughout my day, I want to be as prepared as possible for my reality. Not Tactical Dan the Gray Man’s reality.

Reading surrounds and the activity happening there, trusting your instincts and having a plan of action is part of living in strength and distinctly taking up your space on the planet.

Knowing what you would like to happen and what you are willing and not willing to do or put up with, will help know how to implement the goal -YOUR goal- and plan how to achieve them.

What is your goal? 

Mine is educate women on how powerful their Subtle Warrior truly is.

Been There Done That

I recently had a revelation that was really mind-boggling for me. I have been teaching women self defense for 17 years. The number of years is in itself is pretty astonishing. 

Overall, I have been teaching for 32 years. For the first decade I was the sensei at my dojo. A dojo I, along with my husband, literally built. The Shihan-Shidosha-Sensei guru dude of the system I was learning at the time ran classes from his dojo. I would simply repeat the lessons from those classes in my classes. So I never really planned classes, merely adapted to fit my students and specific class goals.

When I left his system I was at a loss. I had spent so many years training and now felt as if I wasted all those years for nothing. Then I realized that I wanted to teach women self defense. But I was conscious that my martial art was missing very vital elements for teaching women self protection. Though I didn't know what they were at the time. 

So, with my usual general credo of "wing it" I found myself in the presences of someone who had been teaching women self defense for many, many years. Someone with the battle scars and trauma of a violence professional. That was my start in the self defense industry. Since then it has be a whole new level of learning. And it keeps getting deeper and more substantial. 

Earlier this month on a journey to the northwest to visit with a friend and colleague something was said that produced an epiphany.  I have been dwelling on it ever since. We were looking a collection of items I got to handle several blades. I have been formally trained in the sword. This is not something I've really thought about as special or extraordinary. Mainly it's been a tidbit I just have tucked away in my memory and experience bank. A statement along the lines of something like, 'not being formally training but having handled a lot swords has given extensive experience' got me to grasp the concept that I have experiences and reminiscence that are not only of value but are wholly a part of what I do. Teach.  

Imposter syndrome is a topic discussed often among those who are truly concerned that they deliver the best material they can. I've never thought of my doubts as imposter syndrome but rather more like 'incompetence syndrome'. "Am I really competent enough to be teaching this stuff?" is the mind-chatter I hear.

With another friend, I was expressing some concerns about teaching and possible challenges I may face. She made a simple comment that also blew my mind. "I know you will be fine in handling such challenges. You know how I know?" Of course I asked how. She simply pointed out to me a situation that I recently handled. I was utterly dumbfounded. So simple. So direct and so spot on. 

Yet, I never ever thought about it in such context.  

"OMFG!!! I've been there done that" [all already! Haven't I?]

Her response - "Yes." 

So with this month ending, I personally have had a few profound eye-opening realizations. I am so ready to get back in the saddle and stand in front of others and teach once again. I am excited, thrilled and confident. I am on the right path and have been for 17 years. With the group of supportive women and professionals helping me become a better, more informed instructor the future. The work is intensive but will be so worth it.

Disappointment and Frustration

There have been a couple of times that I worked on a blog for two days or more. It is a process in which an extreme rough draft is laid down and then revisions happen. And then many re-reads and revisions. All of it takes more than one day. That doesn’t include the whole process of thinking about what to write and how. 

There have been a couple of times when I worked on a blog for a couple of days or more and then when I go to publish the program glitches. Even when clicking the ‘save’ button, the whole blog simply disappears. *POOF*  All words and thoughts simply dust in the wind. I cannot tell you how much it sucks. Those of you who have had the experience know. Rewriting is not an option. I’ve tried. It doesn’t go so well. 

Last night was one of those experiences. I knew I would not be writing another any time soon. But it is Sunday and on Sundays, since this whole lock-down procedures was implemented I have been involved in a zoom call among self defense colleagues. They have been more than a life saver. I cannot express how much of a port in the storm they have been. 

This evening was full of much laughter. The people are so diverse and so incredibly knowledgeable. It is with this group and with other training colleagues that I feel ‘normal’ -whatever that means. At the least, I don’t feel so out of place. 

The blog I had lost the day before was about imposter syndrome, sort of. It was really about incompetence syndrome. I feel more of an incompetent rather than an imposter. The company I keep on Sundays help quell the incompetence. It’s in the trust and the respect. 

The frustration of losing words laid out is harsh, indeed. Technology certainly has a way of testing ones patience. There has been a few times that I have lost whole blogs. Words lost forever, and if I must say so myself, they were pretty good. If I choose to publish it has to be something I like, writing that meets my satisfaction. 

So with yesterday's loss of words. And today’s jovial, informative Chiron Zoom call to the rescue, the weekend is not a total loss. 

To be or not to be. Do or Do not.

Warrior is a word I am not especially fond of. It gets used way too often for everything from surviving a hangnail to getting through the work week and making it to Friday. There are those who truly are warriors, we know them. There are also many great words of wisdom and sentiment about warriorship. This is one of those and I thought I'd expound on it. 

No one is born a warrior • I do believe though, that one is born with traits that enable one to have what it takes to become a warrior. But life also can have a way of shaping one into a warrior, if necessary, depending on various factors including resolve, tenacity and grit.

You choose to be one when you refuse to stay seated • Sit down! Don't cause problems. Just do what you're told. Sometimes it is easier to just comply. Sometimes not, depending. Once when I was a few years into my present employment, I was asked to cover a class. I am not qualified to sub so I declined. The admin strongly urged me to do it but I maintained steadfast that I would not. He had no other choice but to figure out another option for his dilemma. With the discussion done, I started down the hall back to my work area. The secretary chased me down and insisted that I should not even think of telling an admin no. "Don't make waves" she said. It really made her uneasy. Oh well. 
To have the chutzpah to stand when they all want you to remain seated may be warrior-like somehow, I guess. My thought process at the time was not to be put in a position that I was not certified to do. If anything happed I would be up shit creek. Legally he could not make me do this and we both knew it. Knowledge can really be a great equalizer. The more you know the more you can back your stand. 

You choose to be one when you refuse to back down • Again, backing down depends on many factors. Is it worth it? How significant is it for you to come out on top? Fighting over which movie to go to... is it really that important? Or do you just give in and watch the movie your buddy want to see because it is about spending time together and not really the movie? 
So, another story. I was waiting alone at Sears one November to pick up family photos (this was like 30 years ago, Sears use to do photos). A big, rough, mean-looking dude was threatening to beat one of his girlfriend's very young kids. There were 4 really small ones, from toddler to about age 5 or so. He stood up and took off his belt. I spoke up and the only thing I could think of to say was, "Sir, I'm not going to just stand here and let you use that belt on those kids." Of course the adults didn't not like my interference and let me know in no uncertain terms. Now, I had no plan and no idea what I would do, but still I could not back down. The kids were just being little kids, singing and climbing off and on their chairs. Nothing so horrendous that constituted a beating from this guy with a belt, not that anything would. But confronting him was the one of the scariest things I've ever done. This put me in a position to watch my back for several years afterward. 
The actions and reactions we choose to take will always have results. Even if that result puts us in a position to keep our guard up for a long time after. Or the result can cause us to loose friendships or family.

Standing up after getting knocked down •  With this one there isn't a 'depends' option. There is no other option than to get back up. It may take time. It will hurt like hell, like your guts have been ripped out. Like there could never be sunshine and happiness ever again. More tears and sorrow than you ever thought possible, but you have to get up and get through. 

Every. Single. Time. 

No matter what. 

Not all scars are visible. 

That. Is. A. True. Warrior. 

Using the terminology 'warrior' means different things to everyone. I chose the word to use in the name of my business, Subtle Warrior. Even though it is overused for irrelevant shit, it still has meaning. I wrote about why I chose the name Subtle Warrior. You can read about it here.

People are born but some are endowed with something... character, disposition, nature...whatever- that places them in an unusual position to be kinda elite in many ways. 

Or just maybe all those traits aren't part of it at all. Maybe, just maybe, they just do what they do because it's the right thing to do.

For whatever reason. 

White Yellow Orange Red Black

In the self defense field, many people talk about or use the ‘Cooper’s Color Code’ method of classifying stages of awareness. I have had conversations with people who advocate it and there were a few that had their own color codes of sorts to teach awareness with their self defense course. 

With that, many years ago I once had someone from a completely different area code call me. He drilled me about the self defense I taught, as in what style and if I employed Cooper’s color code in my instruction. I said no I didn’t. He of course reprimanded me for not doing so. The self defense I taught what not complete nor correct without the color code. Now this guy didn’t know anything about me. I am sure he got my number off the website. However, he was not even located anywhere near the region I live or teach. I don’t know why he felt it so important to make sure I was teaching Women's self defense the way he thought I should. 

Basically the color codes give an illustration of the level of awareness one would be in at different times. White illustrated being in an oblivious state, like spacing out or daydreaming. Not paying attention to anything at all. 

Yellow is where you’d be relaxed but aware, generally paying attention.

Orange is when something specific has been noticed and now you're on alert. If it turns out to be nothing, then you go back down to yellow. If it’s more serious, then you go to condition- -

Red. High alert. Shit’s going down, it's the so called ‘fight or flight’ stage. 

Black is all out panic, nothing productive happening because of the panic. You never want to be in this state.

Neither do you want to be in condition red constantly either. Some people are. 

One instructor I met had a different method. Simply green, yellow or red as way for him to illustrate the various levels of awareness. Which seemed a bit more logical for his particular program. As for me, that wasn’t the direction my program went. 

To live your best life you can’t live at one extreme or the other. Life is not binary, either/or. If we become more knowledgable about what to see and how to recognize things developing, then hopefully we can make some choices before it's too late. 

More than Cooper’s color codes, learning where violence comes from, spotting what kind it may be and understanding the factors involved, will help much more than having a colorful way of discerning where your awareness level lies or should be. Now, just because the color codes aren’t my thing, doesn’t mean they don’t have value. If you’re interested, you research it, there is lots of stuff out there about it. 

My allure is toward knowledge and comprehension. Disguising such levels with rainbows  doesn’t do much. Explaining how come the prism creates the colors provides one with the understanding of why. As an example, if your level is Orange there is quite a bit background as to why something put you on alert. Who, what, why, when, how did it all get your attention and how do you articulate it? 

The who, what, why, when, and how is a big part of self defense and a bit part of what women experience. Something sets off our spidey senses for some reason, the ‘I don’t know what’s wrong, but somethings not right’ feeling. The skill set sometimes referred to as alpha skills, which involve awareness, avoidance E/E and communications and the delta skills, which are a transitioning point with behavior clusters and boundary setting help us prepare in case things go physical. 

The color code I most prefer is this one:

Shifting a Paradigm

Recently I got to do some training in June and July. Training really isn't the right word in my opinion. Training brings to mind physical exertion. Yeah, sure there's some physical exercises practiced, but it so much more educational than that. 

The program I went to in June was the one I had been eagerly anticipating. 500 Rising is the beginning of a paradigm shift. I am so thrilled to be in on it from the get go. Having lived a life of more than 5 decades, 4 of them in the martial arts world and 16 of those specializing in women's personal defense. I knew there was something brewing in this industry and I am fortunate enough to be among movers and shakers that will stand and deliver. 

If you've read previous posts you know that 'martial art is not self' defense is stated more than once. Rory's got a saying, "You don't have to justify martial arts. You do have to justify self defense." Along with that, martial arts defense techniques are task-oriented if 'A' then 'B' maneuvers give easy answers to unrealistic problems.

What do I mean? Well, most skills taught are for stranger attacks. The person you don't know that comes out from the so called dark alley or from the bushes, so to speak. But 85% of the attacks come from someone the target knows, not a stranger. Yes, those stranger attacks happen, but chances are that you'll have to defend against a person you know. That's the reality problem that instructors who teach self defense won't address. Why? Because it's not easy. It  is the reality and there are no simple 'A then B' answers. Reactions and responses must to be goal-oriented. This is hard to teach in a martial arts arena where testing and rank are determined by how well you can replicate what the instructor wants to see. 

To get an endorsement for the Instructional Foundations for Women's Self Defense with 500 Rising I had to submit letters of recommendation. Pretty sure I am the only one that got one from a Buddhist Zen master. She was one of the first people I shared my want to educate women about personal defense. It was at her monastery that I came to that realization. 😊

There was also a lot of reading involved. One book, Sapiens, I had on audio and already listened to it twice. My kinda nerd reading. Most of the reading list had already been done a long time ago. There is much to know to be able to give the source of the whats and whys because that is what educators do. We research to give the most accurate information possible. 

Seriously, understanding how and why violence happens is a huge part of educating others on what to expect. Not only from the assailant but from themselves. So after many many hours of pre-class material online before our in class days, three intense days about 9 hours each, we graduated as the first class.

A couple of weeks after the 500 Rising Rory Miller was in Boise doing the very first presentation of his Situational Awareness class. He asked me to present the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs section. We use it as a model to show where conflict and violence comes from and how it differs. I started learning from Rory in October 2010, he has taught this concept several times a month every year since. So, I had the opportunity to present. In front of him and several cool people at the seminar. It was fun, and exhilarating. (scary too, but that was just my monkey mind freakin' me out)  When all was said and done, I felt good about how it went.

So with these past few weeks of meeting up with amazing people, creating another network of colleagues working toward shifting a paradigm and experiencing a real burst of joy of presenting to others, the time has come for me to up my presentations. Looking forward to putting together my visuals and advancing my presentation skills. 

So, enough of writing this and on to working on a presentation. 

Life's Adventure

It's been a quite a while since the last post. I had been working on one to publish, doing research and such. It's pretty much done, however, I decided, 'Nope.... not going to do it." It was titled, "Sick. Sick Sick" as in 'I am so tired of all this Covid 19/Corona virus crap'. As I am sure we all are. In fact, that is probably the only boat we are all in together. Hanging over the edge being sick. Sick. Sick. Of. It. All.

I did some research on things like the number of deaths per year, stuff like that. The information on the virus changes daily, or at least the information the media feeds us. I trust none of the information given. I also am not freaked out from this pandemic. I can't say I buy all the hype about how we all are going to die if we get it. That is bullshit, and way too many people are panicked. Panicked people are not fun.
This whole experience of this has certainly been interesting. Not completely unpleasant but certainly not enjoyable either.
  I have a job I absolutely love, mingling with young adults every day. Some days with the kids are better than other days, all depending on what is happening in their lives and in the world at the moment. I work at a very small school, so knowing the individual students is the norm. The one goal I have each day is to make sure my classroom is consistent. Consistent in set up, consistent in attitude and energy. That consistency brings a sense of safety and trust. The other daily goal is to make the kids laugh or at least smile everyday. The kids are the reason to get up everyday. The structure of the day keeps me sane, and sometimes stressed, but mostly stable in knowing who, what, when, where, why, how, etc. This inconclusive, unstable, precarious times of ours right now sucks. It's Bullshit.

I have a saying, "Everyday is an adventure, whether you want it to be or not." Many many days are mundane with the same ol' same ol'. Sometimes the mundane takes a sharp left turn and you find yourself in the middle of mayhem or a commotion that may not have been anticipated. Those are really the fun times, problem solving, keeping it together and getting through. Then there are those days that start out in a chaotic sprint from the get go.

No matter the day, it is an adventure... sometimes in unexpected ways, and sometime in ways we'd rather not experience, but an adventure none the less. This whole pandemic has been one of those times. And it looks to be an ongoing 'adventure' for quite some time to come. Good, bad or indifferent, there will be thrills and excitement along with misery and despair. No matter what, the days keep on keeping on and the people keep on peopling on. Some with more sense than others, but oh, well, live and let live.

So in this, approaching of start of the 3rd month of a pandemic, with the help of friends, and internet communications I think I am holding out ok. I cant wait to go to a movie again. The first thing I am going to order in the restaurant I can go into for a meal will be breakfast! And the wish to have been able to spend the last month in school making memories with the students going off into their lives is not going to happen. There is a loss, a grief there with that. But I'll get over it.

The one thing I look most forward to is getting together with all those people I train with a few times a year. I can wait to see them all again. It's not like we get to hang out a lot anyway, but the next time is going to be exceptional.