Saving a Starfish

I was doing a weighted walk on the beach this morning. 

No one on this island community wakes up at 5:30 am, apparently.

I was standing in the surf with All Time Lows' new CD, Future Hearts on the I pod.

Sweat dripped off me in the sunlight while a cool breeze tried to console my hot skin.

I looked to where the waves break on the resort beach and saw a beautiful starfish.

It had washed to shore and was beginning to dry in the sun.

How cool would it be on a coffee table !! 

Much to my surprise when I picked it up it was still alive,

 It had just become trapped in the waves and washed ashore.

I could let it dry out in the sun. A couple days and boy,

 would it look cool on that coffee table.

 I threw it back out onto the reef.

It's hard to believe its been nearly 5 years since my many surgeries for diverticulitis.

Following each surgery I suffered from memory loss from the pain medicine.

During this time I needed training partners that would talk me through

 each drill, kata, mitt sequence ect. Like the starfish I had washed ashore helpless.

We all at different times in all our lives face adversity.

A stronger opponent, the death of a parent, the 'tragic breakup',

the loss of a job or a large sum of money.

You can choose to see the curse or the gift.

 And this one choice will determine if your life

 is a success story or one big soap opera.

 -Jon Gordon-

Have you ever faced negative people before?
Wait — who am I kidding? Of course you have! I know I have.

Unless you live in a cocoon, all of us have encountered one negative person in our life.
Negative people are everywhere, in our workplace, in social circles, or our family.

The challenge with dealing with negative people is that they tend to be draining.

 No matter what you say, they always have a negative opinion to offer..

 When they have a problem, they prefer to complain, rather than work out a solution.



 He dropped out of grade school and was home schooled.
He ran a country store, went broke.
 It took 19 years to pay off all his bills, but he did pay them off.

 He had a law firm, but his partner ran off and left him with debts.
 He was married, but his marriage flopped.
 His wife came down with mental illness and paranoia.
 He had a son who was physically weak and died at a young age.

 He ran for political office four times,
 twice for the house and twice for the senate,and lost all four times.
Ultimately, he held office but was despised by half the country.

Satirists and newsmen derided him on an almost daily basis.
Most audiences felt his speeches were hum-drum.
 His classic speech was met with indifference.

Who was he? Abraham Lincoln.

Whether your the 'starfish or the beach walker your day will come
 if you DON'T QUIT !!!

 CHECK OUT OUR LATEST PROJECT WITH NARROW STREET FILMS !!

https://youtu.be/muRr_bPB3-s

RIP Bill Bauknecht

Bill Bauknecht RIP             God Speed my friend.

The warrior has fought the courageous fight. 

The battle of the dark night of the soul is won. 

New energy now fills the Warrior. 

A new path is now laid before them. 

A gentler path filled with the inner-knowing 

of one who has personal empowerment.

With their personal battle won, they are filled with joy. 

A new awareness that they are one with the Spirit beams 

as they go forth to show others the way. 

They are not permitted to walk the path for others. 

They can only love, guide and be a living example 

of the Truth of their being.

Thank you for being a mentor and a friend.

Robb Buckland

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 Walk of Shame

In music they call it a 'one hit wonder'.
Like Soft Cells'  Tainted Love.

Buster Douglas is a great example in the 'fight game'.

A 42/1 underdog handed Tyson his first professional defeat in 1990.
or 
Leon Spinks defeat of Mohammad Ali in 1978
Spinks career record 26 wins 17 losses making the Ali victory
a kinda one hit wonder....

As far as life and love goes, we all know our share of 'walking travesties'.
We see them out at the local pub or hear their whispered stories
on the mat at the gym or by the water cooler, their lives a succession of 
'Walks of shame'.

As always in my musings I avoid the obvious, I leave it to you the reader to imply it.

One of my early karate teachers discouraged me from going to tournaments.
He told me that the rules were designed to eliminate the strengths 
of our style...specifically 'the grab'.

Joe Lewis encouraged what he called 'limitation sparring'.
A drill where you would eliminate one or more of your 'Aces'.
The idea was to enhance tactical efficacy in the event of injury or 'bad rules'.

Arthur Rabesa has such drills both on you tube, and his website.

I took 'the walk of shame' from many early tournaments.

I believed 'the master'....

I left those tournaments feeling weak and used after successive defeats.
I lost so many times my friend Tom didn't wanna go any more haha !

Roosevelt said,
It's far better to dare mighty things, 
To win glorious triumphs,
even though checkered by failure.....

Something had to change.
Joe lewis had always told me that he didn't have much respect for fighters
that were under 200 pounds. I was only 170 !!
A slow middleweight .... but I'd be a fast heavyweight.

After a tournament in my hometown of Pittsfield , MA
a referee came to me and said your gonna have to really hit your opponent
if you want to get the win. They are watching they're guys NOT YOU.

Lesson Learned !

With the help of a friend Dave Sinopoli (weight training advice)
 and boxing coach Dickie Eklund (footwork).

 I Lifted & 'Danced' (footwork drills), my way to 208 pounds
 Now I could hit like a heavyweight move like a lightweight !


Let me be strong enough to know when I am weak,
and brave enough to face myself when I am afraid,
Let me be proud and unbending in honest defeat,
 and humble and gentle in victory.

-Robb Buckland-

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.

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.

Flavor of the Weak

Each of us has a cunning 'shadow self', 
 (what Jung and Freud call ego)

That's where the 'righteous anger' routine comes from.
Similar to 'convienent truth' as a method of deflection.

You simply feel that you've been done wrong , and it's unacceptable.

Someone has to say sorry and it's not going to be you.

It's easy to tell others to stay calm and move on 

until the 'shit hits the fan'  in our own lives, then its 'gloves off'' !

At this point it's VERY difficult to find a 'neutral perspective'.

Focus on goals and a clearly defined purpose is jeopardized.
This delusional approach will likely bury you in a shallow grave of lies.

Life is a long rainy storm,  learning to 'Dance in the Rain' 

before the storm passes is liberating.

I've been doing an exercise taught to me by George E Mattson.

George is the North American Uechi Ryu Karate Founder, a mentor and a friend.

How simple is this ?

Perform Master Uechis' Sanchin Kata at 'Tai Chi' speed.

If you can master this ultra slow motion method of introspective analysis

you can get past any person or event that is renting space in your head..

One of my sales reps is so wrapped up in her phone and what's going on with
Facebook , that it effects her sales every time.

The ability to separate yourself from social drama in favor of a beneficial goal
is paramount in fitness, martial arts, love and life.

I had a student we called 'Tinkerbell' During training breaks she would 
go to her gym bag and check her texts, obviously adversely affected by 
the message she received, I finally asked her why she did that.

She explained that her ex was the title holder of her car and was 
calling her and texting trying to control her using the car as  leverage.

I could have a million more friends if I would just change my point of view.
Joe Lewis said we as fighters should maintain 
'constant forward pressure'.

I  think the same applies to all aspects of our lives. Don't get distracted.
Assume the topless lady invariably has something up her sleeve.
If your steadily losing you aren't using what you know is right.

Even if you do the right thing and are steel willed
the 'hocus - pocus' in our lives leaves us maladjusted
and your tears get rusted.

As martial artists we strive to forge a body of steel in the fire of our will.
I suggest you maintain an insurance policy that includes collision;
then leave the wreckage at the door.

Our Dreams are Important
We must Leverage our Passion to Honor Them !!!

THE SINS OF EXCESS....GLUTTONY

"Gluttony"

I get it started and then I'm broken hearted
'Cause I can't get a hold of the beast
It's like I'm blind, I'm running out of time
And everything I crave is out of reach

You say I drink too much,
 you say I fuck too much
So what the hell am I supposed to do?

I take a dive and medicate my mind
'Cause I hate what I fucking see
It's all a grind, we're filling up our time
With the rules of society

You say I eat too much,
 you say I smoke too much

What the fuck am I supposed to do?
I wanna die and kill my dirty mind

-Buckcherry-

Where is my ball gag ? 

We live the predominant part of our lives obsessed about our fitness, our Martial arts , 

and especially our relationships; over thinking, over training, and over reacting..

 I remember the bars on the windows obscuring the view of the 

beautiful blue moon light.

I've missed plenty of opportunities because of bad judgement,

Often though, it is difficult because more often than not you are the only one who sees 

the evil and the underhandedness while everyone else is blind to it.

I spent alot  of time reflecting my actions, missing many 

opportunities because of my stubbornness or ignorance.

We create the prison of our mind through superstition,

 dependence on the advice of damaged people

 and our own fear of personal failure

 due to our knowledge of who we truly are inside.

The only thing a man/woman need fear

 is what they know about themselves inside.

-Clint Eastwood-

"That's The Way The World Goes 'Round"

I know a gal that's got a lot to lose
She's a pretty nice lady, kinda confused
Got muscles in her head, ain't never been used
Thinks she owns half of this town

Starts drinking heavy, gets a big red nose
She beats her old man with her panty hose
Then she takes him out, buys him new clothes

I was sitting in the tub just counting my toes
When the radiator broke and the water froze
I got stuck in the ice without any clothes
Naked as the eyes of a clown

I was crying ice cubes, hoping that I'd croak
When the sun come through the window and the ice all broke
I said "son of a gun", man, that's just a joke

One minute you're up and the next you're down
Got a half an inch of water and you think you're gonna drown
That's the way that the world goes 'round

-Miranda Lambert-

We were talking about 'damaged people' and how everyone was to one degree or another; and my friend Jerry says,
 'There are plenty of psychotic fish in the sea.'

I'm thinking, 'O.K. I'm not a 'fisherman so let them  swim on by !!!'

You Will encounter all kinds of 'wack jobs'

in sales , martial arts and fitness...Stay safe, love yourself  and

TRUST YOUR JUDGEMENT.

Let us not forget 'Grimms' Rapunzel 

who's indiscretions left her destitute.

External beauty, in speech and appearance will eventually

expose it's true essence. That essence will be their down fall.

Like the 'Stones' song says time is on your side.......

If that's not enough look to the  'Art of War'.

"A warrior must have the patience to wait  by the river

for the bodies of their enemies to float by."

More often than not after sharing your knowledge, resources

 or just your heart, you will be disappointed.

A warrior doesn't quit they persevere.

I've been disappointed , misled in about every endeavor I undertook.

A champion gets knocked down 5 times and gets up 6

I've used bad judgement in most aspects of my life ...

Understand the benchmark to your personal success

is unity and loyalty and perseverance.

Choose your 'TEAM' wisely !

Hung like a Hampster, big around as a beer can.

We are so accustomed to hiding our true selves from others

 that we end up hiding from ourselves.

In some cultures it is a sign of status to have your earlobes stretched. 

I've seen this more and more recently.

 B.B.C. news says it is more prevalent over the last 5-6 years

 and that it's not just the 'tattoo and peircing' crowd that's doing this. 

Growing up I 'retooled' myself by going to the gym daily,
 running and cross training in various Martial Arts.
I suffered from low self esteem, these activities gave me confidence
and helped to repair my self esteem.

Fortunately for my kids, confidence is nurtured not genetic.

They excel in sports and social situations.

  For me it was a full time job of personal reprogramming

 that drove me to my various successes.

Raising the bar too high ?

How high is high enough ?

I remember Billy Major calling me from the Pittsfield Boxing Club.

My daughter Alli, had on her own, decided to train and spar at his gym.

 She was knocking out 18 year old boys at age 13 and won the Black Belt Division Grand Championship in fighting and forms at

 the Boston Nationals AS A BROWN BELT !!   

For my son Drew 'the struggle' was a little different.

Following the death of his step father Drew decided he wanted to be a lineman.

He applied, secured tuition and off he went.

For a guy with FEARLESS as an email he was no stranger to danger !

Apple   - Tree

Drew trains in kickboxing and regularly drags his butt to the gym.

He has fought as a teen in both the U.S. and Canada.

Joe Lewis would be proud...I know I am.

Now just come to Maine son....we need good linemen. 

Suellen had it tougher than the rest.

Her biological father has been 'run out of town' every where he ever worked.

 Suz loves her dad but has eclipsed his 'dark influence'.

It is so cool to see her 'work a table at a restaurant / bar,

consistently outselling her co-workers !!

Rock on Suz !!

Someone I used to know told me, that when she did catering work for extra money

she felt people looked down on her because she was serving them.

Ghandi said,

There is no shame in losing yourself in the service to others.

I think doing good things for, and helping others is the greatest measure of  personal excellence.

Living your life doing good things and leaving your 'mark' is your gateway to immortality.

Doing good for others heals us on the inside and the resulting 'ripple effect' 
causes us to speak, think and live in the affirmative.

The Treachery of the Ambiguous

The complexity and 'truth'  of human contact 

is being replaced with simple, scalable equations,

We maintain hundreds, even thousands more friends

than any human in history, 

at the cost of complexity and depth.

Every minute spent online is 'face-to face' time lost.

-adapted-

by

Robb Buckland

The best of characters are attractive and repulsive at the same time.

I piss alot of people off with my stories because they read themselves into them.

One of the greatest hazards in life is to risk nothing at all.

Living well is to risk dying.

Loving well is to risk rejection.
Being a wordsmith is to risk being 'unfriended & blocked'

All are obstacles you encounter when you take your eyes off  your goal.

Facing and overcoming obstacles and fears
 in the Dojo and the gym gives us the courage 

to face any challenge we'll face in life and love.

Beware the Devil was once an Angel.
He doesn't come to you with a red face and horns, 
he comes to you disguised as everything you ever wanted.

Character is developed through actions.
Positive and negative energy both give off a vibe.
Trust 'the vibe', energy rarely lies.
That 'stomach thing is your 'spider sense'
Trust It !!

Let go, let go of how you thought life should be,
and embrace the life that's trying to break through.

It is not who I am underneath,

 but what I do that defines me.

-Bruce Wayne-

One last thing,......They're just words.

When 3 people have sex it's called a threesome
When two people have sex it's called a twosome
Why do people call me handsome  ??