Hide & Seek

Succeed or fail at our process there are two sets of footprints in the sand.

In fitness, life love and martial arts we hit plateaus and we meet with failures,
It's not trying that is unacceptable.
There is nothing wrong with celebrating success
but true victory comes from heeding the lessons of failure.

Again this week suffering from writers block I turned to

 Denise 'Blogger of the Heart' Davis, who said,

Expecting better relationships by doing the same thing over and over is failing. 
If you want true, unconditional love there's only 'ONE' who can give you that.
Everyone else will fail you at some point in your life.
At your lowest points it's frustrating to only see one set of foot prints in the sand.

I've been blessed with a large pool of mentors.
Each time I hit a 'sticking point' I turn to one for explanation and / or motivation.
More often than not the 'truth' we seek is not as mysterious
 as most would have you believe.The 'trick' is to not 'buy the popcorn'.

In sales we say 'keep it simple stupid'.
Art Rabesas' explanation of 'power in-fighting' is the same.


Simple - Direct - having 'Violence of Action'

Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.

 In the mean time we should behold the rain that descends on our vineyards,

 it enters the roots of the vines and changes into wine;
 A constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.
 The rest will work itself out with trial and error ....

after all we are human and mistakes are what we do.

Pleasure and Pain

Part II

 

Once upon a midnight dreary, 
while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—

    While I nodded, nearly napping,

 suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered,
 “tapping at my chamber door—

            Only this and nothing more.

The Raven

-Edgar Allen Poe-

Since my experiment regarding the validity of the 'tap tap' use of Kyusho in self defense
was 'so rudely interrupted'  by the holidays, this segment has been delayed...

What we do know about the use of this style of defense is that it's effectiveness
is minimized, if not eliminated by body conditioning (iron shirt ect.)
If we throw  a conditioned mind into the mix, it's unlikely it's of any use at all.

When combined with Uechi Ryu as a foundation (delivery system); as demonstrated
 by Jim Maloney, Art Rabesa, Ed Hulse, Van Canna  and others 'in the know',
Kyusho acts like a kind of  'GPS'  for the Lamborgini of infighting styles.

My friend Denise is a blogger 'of the heart', she would say,

In life we either make good or bad choices.

 The bad ones bring pleasure for a little while but the pain always follows.

 The good choices may cause pain but our heart tells us it's right.
  Our way is not always the best way but,
 doing something right when no one is watching
Is a signature of our personal truth, our essence.

 The resulting 'feel good, feeling' empowers us for the next 'fight'. 

I find it somewhat empowering to believe that I have a functional 'GPS'
onboard when it's 'go time' but there is no substitute for 
old fashioned training and conditioning.

The Good Touch

In martial arts life and love we are all susceptible to the fantasy of 'the good touch'.

The old Kung Fu master touched his assailant, with no apparent effect. 

 Days later, the assailant died a sudden and mysterious death. 

 He was a victim of the legendary dim mak, the touch of death.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar1yXYOsxQk#t=233

The Cantonese term 'dim mak' does not translate to 'death touch'.
A more accurate translation would be 'press artery'

There are pressure points on the body that when manipulated 
 cause immediate excruciating pain;
 also vital areas that require a small amount of force to inflict great damage.
As martial artists we are trained to protect these areas.

When it gets Intimate

Understanding the manipulation of these meridians allows for heightened awareness and
 states of arousal during intimacy actually creating a hungering for them.
This understanding leads to new sensations and/or states of arousal,
where we can achieve even more pleasure.


The Intimate Fighting Range

Though some pressure points happen to be located along arteries.
This does not make 'Dim Mak' synonymous with pressure point striking or grappling.
The 'Bubishi'  is the how and the where...

But is the practice of the how and the where a stand alone fighting STYLE ?

I think not .....
As a companion art I believe in the validity of Kyushu.
It's study is like a dictionary of striking points and methodologies.
As a stand alone defense system it's dangerous to believe in it's stand alone efficacy .

Martial Arts , Life and Love are all founded in part in Fantasy & Myths.
One such myth is that Kyushu alone will save you against a 'motivated assailant'.

Knowing how to hit,
 (boxing & kicking matrix, small circle ju-jitsu);
the development of interactive skills ie:
 movement vs firepower,controlling distance, 
set point control and aggressive defense,
ring generalship and controlling the pocket are hallmark attributes
 we train these attributes on a daily basis so as not to be vulnerable.

WHITE LIAR

The truth comes out a little at a time 

And it spreads just like a fire 

Slips off of your tongue like turpentine 

 You better be careful what you do 

I wouldn't wanna be in your shoes 

If they ever found you out 

 It never really added up any way 

You said you went out to a bar 

And walked some lady to her car 

But your face has more to tell 

Cuz my cousin saw you on the street 

With a red head named Bernice 

Turns out you don't lie too well 

Here's a bombshell just for you 

Turns out I've been lying too 

Yeah I'm a white liar 

 -Miranda Lambert-

'White Liar'

  In December of 2013 I decided for the convenience of remote deposit
 and other features to open a bank account with a national bank.

 I had a 'parting of ways' with Bank of America, 

 that left me with Wells Fargo .

 My first visit to the bank was an interesting experience.

I was greeted and treated like royalty.

My teller was a young Russian girl,

when I asked her how to access the 'upgraded features'

I was told I was 'establishing a relationship' with the bank,

and those fantastic features that had attracted me to them

 would be available to me after a year .

It's been a year !!!
And it's Facebook official !!

  Denise Lora Webster Davis says.....

The truth always comes to surface, Honesty starts by being honest with yourself 
 The choices your made im the past got you where you are today.
 Open up your heart and let the truth in for it will set you and those around free 
 and you will start to see a new meaning when you let the love and honesty inside.

I feel compelled to come clean with you my trusted readers.

The whole time I was 'establishing a relationship' with Wells Fargo

I was actually 'maintaining a relationship' on the side with Kennebunk Savings.

Honestly I don't feel I was being dishonest or 'cheating'.

After all a man has to
'MAKE HIS DEPOSITS SOMEWHERE !!!'

A Matter of Inspiration..a letter to a friend

A flower that continues to bloom in the face of adversity is the most beautiful of all.

Adversity, pain & heartbreak are all seeds for the improvement of ourselves,

 or those we mentor.

I remember as a 13 year old boy meeting you for the first time.

You were a pretty intimidating guy, the kinda guy I wanted to become 

after being repeatedly bullied on the school bus.

Children must be taught how to think not what to think....you did that.

The mind of a child is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.

You were not so much a teacher to me but an awakener.

We live our lives between the act of awakening and the act of surrender.

Each morning we awaken to the light, an invitation to a new day in the world of time.

Each night we surrender to the darkness to play in the world of dreams,

 where time is no more.

Often the profound effect we have on others goes unnoticed by us.

As parents we want to be heros to our children.
As warriors we want to leave the mark of our will, our signature,

on the hearts and minds of our students, and all who's lives we touch.

You have done that in me Thank You, It is an honor to call you a mentor and a friend.

Living like a Runaway

Remember: 

Life is short, break the rules (they were made to be broken)

Forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably

and never regret anything that makes you smile.

The clouds are lined with silver and the glass is half full.

(although the answer won't be found at the bottom)

Don't sweat the small stuff,

You are who your meant to be.

Dance as if no one's watching.

Love as if it's all you know.

Dream as if you'll live forever,

Live as if you'll die today.

When I was younger I lived like a runaway.

To be a seeker you have to doubt all truths,

observation and experience will teach you what you need to know.

In the end it's imagination, not knowledge that marks intelligence.

I think the saying goes, 'Without strong roots the mightiest tree cannot stand.'

Experiencing different places, cultures and opportunities has always been paramount 

to my 'taking root'. Funny how people try to get you to focus on what 'they' want.

The discovery of 'the agenda' is the hardest thing to accept when you discover it.
Key West, South Beach, Williamsburg, Cape Cod, New Orleans...on and on,
 Been there done that ! It's not the place, It's the people that make the difference.

There are people we don't want to lose
but can't hold onto.

There are places we don't want to be 
but are meant to experience.

There are things we don't want to happen 
but can't control.

It's your job to climb the mountain and see above the clouds for yourself.
Rather than to believe the 'congregations' interpretation of the view.
We need to be able to state our personal truth without having to prove or 'shout' it.
Our greatest short coming is that we have learned to mask certain feelings,
or portray feelings that weren't even ours.

CHIP AWAY AT THE 'BLOCK'

I wish neither to possess, nor be possessed.

I no longer covet paradise, 

more important, I no longer fear hell.

The medicine for my suffering

I had within me from the beginning.

But I did not take it.

My ailment came from within myself,

but I did not observe it until this moment.

Now I see I will never find the light

unless, like the candle,

 I am my own fuel, consuming myself.

 The Silent Flute,

 - Bruce Lee -
 October 19, 1970

 

 

 

        People we cherish in our lives will sometimes become estranged from us.

Good friends are like stars, you may not always see them but they'll always be there.

When you perceive yourself as being hurt,

 you don't want to hear about someones best intentions,

you want them to acknowledge harm and take responsibility.

Men kick friendship / love like a football,

but it doesn't seem to crack.

Women treat it like glass and it all goes to pieces.

'Night' can fall at any time, concentration turns to fear and desperation.

 

I'm trying to make this a kinder and gentler story.

I could live without speaking up, all I'd have to lose is my vanity.

Recently I've had writers block...... I know what your thinking,..

YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SAY ???

 

 I'm not really tortured, inspired, pissed off or disgusted. 

Therefore this will be a random mish-mash of collected sentences

edited from unused  stories, and insights collected over the last couple weeks

 I've started, then lost the inspiration to complete several stories.

 These are the tattered remnants of those musings.

In writing, relationships and sales you need positive

 or negative emotion to be successful.

I've got nothin !!

September was a record month with 26 stories and lots of drama having been hacked

by someone using some pretty interesting tactics requiring me to get new bank cards,

a new operating system for both the computer and the phone.

I changed emails and my phone number.

Sorry to all that were inconvenienced.

October we had the JLFS conference. 

 Mid November is almost here and we head to Martial Arts University.

Only 20 stories in October.

 Once you see the truth for what it is,
 anger and resentment is replaced with hope, faith and forgiveness.

 Everyone has been fooled

by the 'perfume on the pig' at one time or another.
it wears 'makeup' like graphiti on the walls of the heartland.

Life is a journey, you never know what 'state' you find yourself in.

It's not real healthy to keep 'a book of conspiracies' in your hand.

Though the past is 'a days bus ride from here' 

when the day is over and the sun is settling down you look to the 

horizon you can see the silhouette, that darkness that nearly consumed you.

You are your your own fuel, you can see the light if you,

 like the candle, consume yourself.

The ailment is within and so is the cure.

-Robb Buckland-

The Unbridled Beast

The world of relationships and associations is a wild animal,

 untamed & unbridled .

 It's allure is overpowering to all of us.

 More often than not it is 'kryptonite' to our individual creativity. 

We are attracted to it's allure like moths to flame

 but invariably the flame that burns brightest burns out fastest.

 Like Icarus we crash and from the ashes rise again to try again,

 because we are hardwired to fight against failure.

Fall Down 5 times get up 6  =  Champion

This is exemplified in relationships by the perceived need for a shoulder to lean on,

or a hand to hold while waiting for whispered words we need to feel self worth again.

We forget that it's actions that make the difference not just words.

Out of desperation you yearn to feel what you thought you never would again.

So you believe the empty words.

Associations in life, love and Martial Arts will leave you dizzy if you

 try to follow the downward spiral of 'their' devolving, revolving door hearts.

Lost opportunities cause an erosion of confidence causing the 

experience of life to be so difficult for so many.

I remember being so proud of being a Joe Lewis Black Belt

 Joe would call you out of a crowd of a hundred seminar participants

and introduce you as one of his few Black Belts.

Captains & Sailors

There are more 'Grand Masters' in North America than in all of Asia.

I read there are over 1000 Kenpo 10th Dans !!

I watched a handful more Grand Masters get promoted 

at the Joe Lewis Fighting Systems Conference.

Congratulations Gentlemen !!!

To maintain 'legitimacy' and integrity in the 'Fellowship of Valor',

adheres to a strict policy of 'time in grade' and board screenings.

After all it is a business. 

The business of maintaining the legacy of our fallen mentor.

It is my fervent desire that joy and good fellowship reign, and in this manner,

may the Joe Lewis Fighting Systems 'torch' pursue it's way through the ages,

increasing friendly understanding among Martial Artists,

for the good of  all, inspiring more enthusiasm in future generations.

Your Dirty 'Ass'

Don't allow the Demons of your past

  unpack their baggage at the door of your future

This is the story of an old donkey and a farmer.

One day the farmers old donkey fell into his well.

Despite repeated attempts the farmer couldn't get the old donkey out of the well.

The well was running dry, and the donkey was old,

 so he decided to fill in the well with the old donkey in it.

The surrounding townspeople came to help but still couldn't lift out the donkey and finally were resigned to helping the farmer to fill in the well with the donkey in it.

The farmer would shovel dirt in the well and the donkey would shake off the dirt

 and then step up onto it until he rose up and actually stepped out of the well.... !

You dont develop courage by being happy

in your relationships everyday.

You develop it by overcoming adversity

 by surviving difficult times

and challenging adversity every day. 

-Epicurus-

O.K. so there might be one more lesson we can learn from this 'ass' .

The donkey bit the farmer in the ass and he got an infection and died.

The first lesson is obvious shake off the dirt and rise 

the second lesson ?

If you try to 'cover your ass' it'll bite you in the but in the end.

The weight of the world

The weight of one life is enough.

When the center of the world was the Mediterranean.

The Titan Atlas was made by Zeus, king of the Gods from Greek mythology,

 to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Zeus sentenced Prometheus to have his liver pecked out and eaten by an eagle.

For stealing fire from the Gods and sharing it with man.

Since the Titans were immortal the liver kept growing back.

Atlas intended the punishment to last forever,

perhaps Greek mythology's version of Hell.

I think at different times in our lives we all experience this feeling.

when were not winning, when you loose faith in yourself or others.

If you were carrying the weight of the world you would surely drop it.

It would shatter into thousands of pieces.

Freeing yourself of the 'dust' from past failures and dissatisfaction

is exhausting. Who knew how heavy 'dust' actually is.

'Fresh air' is exhilarating, breath it in !!!

The only person you are destined to be
 is who you decide to be

-Ralph Waldo Emerson-

Maybe the gift of fire from Prometheus to man was 
The fire of will. 

As the years have passed I've moved to more 'Primal' methods of training.
Using two sets of  twenty pound ankle weights (one on each limb)
I walk for 1 hour and 10 minutes every day. the results are pretty amazing.

I know where i've been, I can't wait to see where I'm going.
There is always risk in Primal activity..... life, love and Martial Arts.
You don't know whether it will warm your heart, fulfill your hearts desires
or burn the whole damn house down.

Picking up the pieces is never an easy task, but what a great opportunity.
Sure there is difficulty in every opportunity,
 but there is also opportunity in every difficulty.

 When rebuilding a shattered world from pieces things won't ever be the same.
But do you want them to be ?

Happiness is the pause between two moments of suffering.
The jagged edges of those broken shards may reflect 'the light' you need.

During a speech at the J.L.F.S. annual awards banquet I wrote this on a napkin.

Love and Death don't mean a thing until the Angels sing.

I hope I was everything I was supposed to be 
when the Angels sing