RELAXING BIRTHDAY

This past weekend was my birthday, yeah Bobbe I am around 300. Anyway,
I usually am cranking out something in the way of a project or two.
Well, this weekend- I took a break. Deb and I hosted Chuck Pippin and
Jeannie his wife for their anniversary . The weather co operated a bit
and we spent some time watching videos, walking downtown as well as
doing a little one on one training. The critters even co operated as Jeannie fed one of the chipmonks and it climbed up into her hand.

Chuck brought up the kerambit that I started at the Gathering- finished and cased. Sweet!!! I do hope they make the forging thing a part of the Gathering.

Deb and Jeannie had a chance to chat while Chuck and I crossed hands on the basics of Kuntaw. I also gave the 10 cent tour of the "house in da woods" showing Chuck and Jeannie what I have been describing
for the past couple of years. Last night Deb and I picked up the hot
tub and , well, the project list never stops. It just gets bigger.
Let's see:

Dune buggy- unfinished
trike- unfinished
gt 40- unfinished
fence- unfinished
deck- unfinished
front wall- unfinished

see the pattern here?

But, I know I will get to all of them eventually and I don't mind a break now and then . Especially if it is spent with friends making memories ( see previous post)

PATHS NOT TAKEN

Over the years I have had many opportunities come my way. Many i have
jumped on and ended up none the better for it. But at least, I made a
move. Failing to take advantage of an opportunity can have you later
thinking that -"why didn't i do that?" or I wish I would have...." I
have lived my life trying to take advantage of life , not letting it
take advantage of me.

Now, some of my students have asked me how I have managed to accumulate soo
many skills and memories..... I took the step . If I wanted something,
I went for it. Maybe that is just too simplistic, but it works for me.
I have trained with many high profile people over the years , some took
advantage of me but more often than naught, I took advantage of them.
Taking what they had and running with it. Skills they gave me (
sometimes at a great cost) and dissected, rearranged , and applied
them. I know life can get in your way and it is hard to allot time,
money, and energy to accumulate things. But if you fail to even try to
attain these things you only have you to blame. (see this)

Life is like a
roll of toilet paper, the closer you get to the end the faster it goes.
I have tried to use each and every day to accomplish things. If I did
not have a skill, I sought out one who did and glean that skill/talent
from them. It isn't hard to get skills especially if the skill is
something that you really want and if you value the person who you are
trying to get the skills from. Funny how a little recognition can open
so many doors. Everyone wants to be recognized as being special or of
value. I traveled out to California in 1982 looking to better myKuntaw skills. I found the local Kuntaw guy to be very lacking- so I went to the Filipino Community center and started asking for referrals to people who knew FMA
. They saw my intensity in the value of their arts so I was directed
from person to person. A lot of doors were opened to me that would have
been closed if I came in with a bad attitude.

These old men spent their time showing me many useful and not so useful skills. But sometimes you have to sort thru the apples to find the ripe ones. One of these gentlemen was Guro Sam Tendencia,
I spent a lot of time with him and he in turn sent me to several other
people of whom he saw value. His art was a bit different than mine and
he reminded me many times that it was. By seeing the differences I also
saw the similarities.
So what did this trip cost me?
500.00+
dollars. What did I get out of it? TONS of memories, contacts, and
skills as well as a better understanding of my own art. Sometimes you
just have to get out and "DO" instead of waiting for things to come to
you.

Guro and friend Bill Anderson turned me on to a group of
Indonesian and Filipino martial artists in my state. I had never heard
about them but- an opportunity not taken is lost. I gathered up a few
of my guys and went down to train with them. The cost? A couple of
tanks of gas- the value -immeasurable.

I truly believe that the measure of a persons wealth is not by what they have
in the bank, but by the number of friends they have, the things they
have accomplished, and by the memories they have made. No stock market
crash can ever remove these things from your possession.

Many lives have touched mine. Many people have shared their lives with me. I hope as well that I have made some impact or influenced people on my way down "MY" path. It warms my heart when others see value in what I do and what I have done. I don't go looking for recognition, but a pat on the back or a "job well done" does not hurt one little bit. Ya know , the ego is a fragile thing in some men. I am one of them. Growing up I was always put down by my father and built back up by my mother. I was never good enough for my dad, in my mothers eyes I was special. Duality is in everything I have seen. The balance becomes a way of life.

Salamat Po for reading