Penacook School Karate

Jade T's Random Acts of Kindness

2009-04-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

Jade's Acts from April 13-24

April 13, 2009

1. I helped my mom organize some papers.
2. I took the time to color with my little brother.
3. I cleared the table.
4. I gave a friend a snack.
5. I helped my brother at bed time.

April 14, 2009

1. I shared my Easter candy with my brother.
2. I complimented my friend about being baptized.
3. I unlocked the main apartment door for a friend.
4. I asked my mom if she needed help cleaning the house.
5. I helped my brother at bedtime.

April 15, 2009

1. I gave a friend a pencil.
2. I thanked a teacher who helped me.
3. I helped set the table.
4. I let my brother listen to my ipod.
5. I helped my brother brush his teeth.
April 16, 2009

1. I helped my mom carry in bags.
2. I held the door for someone in the apartment building.
3. I played baseball with my brother.
4. I helped my little brother clean up his toys.
5. I helped my brother brush his teeth.

April 17, 2009

1. I told my team they were doing a good job in gym class.
2. I bought a friend something for lunch.
3. I held the door for my mom.
4. I tried to make my brother feel better.
5. I helped my mom tidy the house.

April 18, 2009

1. I played with my little cousins.
2. I encouraged my cousin who was feeling sad.
3. I helped my mom carry stuff upstairs.
4. I called a friend to congradulate him on his baseball game.
5. I helped my brother brush his teeth.

April 19, 2009
1. I held the door for alot of people at church.
2. I let my aunt watch what she wanted on tv.
3. I helped clear the table after supper.
4. I helped my friend practice for his next game.
5. I helped my brother fix a toy.

April 20, 2009

1. I held the door for my mom and brother.
2. I helped my brother open something up.
3. I helped tidy the house.
4. I helped my brother brush his teeth
5. I helped my bother at bedtime.

April 21, 2009

1. I let a friend use my computer.
2. I walked a friend home in the rain.
3. I opened the door for my mom.
4. I shared a piece of cake with my brother.
5. I helped my brother at bedtime.

April 22, 2009

1. I helped my mom with the house work.
2. I carried bags inside for my mom.
3. I held my brothers hand in the parking lot.
4. I text a message to my mom.
5. I helped my brother brush his teeth.

April 23,, 2009

1. I invited 2 friends over for pizza.
2. I offered to give my mom money toward the pizza.
3. I helped set and clear the table.
4. I opened a juice for my brother.
5. I offered to share my psp charger with a friend.

April 24, 2009

1. I helped my mom at the grocery store.
2. I helped my mom carry in bags.
3. I helped my mom pick up broken glass.
4. I kept my brother busy while my mom took care of things.
5. I told my mom she was the "best".

2009-04-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

4/11/2009

Tim's random acts of kindness
1. I carried the recycling bin out side for Gail
2. held the door for some one
3.picked up trash from side of road
4. Gave up my seat on the bus for a girl with a baby
5. I carried some boxes inside for my sister in law

2009-04-21T10:06:00.001-07:00

4/10/2009

Tim's five random acts of kindness

1. picked up trash cans that were in the street.
2. held the door for a guy behind me
3. asked the bus driver how his day was going
4. Took mom's trash to the dumpters
5. picked up trash that was on the road and threw it away

2009-04-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

4/9/2009

Tim's random acts of kindness
1. gave homeless man four dollars
2. I carried pads over to kick boxing class
3.held the door for two people
4. carried in grocery's for my brother
5.Took mom's trash to the dumpster

2009-04-19T17:28:00.000-07:00

4/8/2009
Tim's five random acts of kindness
1.cleaned my brother's kitchen
2. cleaned up cat puke at my brothers house
3.held the door for woman at store
4.helped sister inlaw with cat box
5. I gave a homeless man a dollar

2009-04-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

4/7/2009
Tim's five random acts of kindness
1.washed my brother's dishes
2.held the door for a person at the store
3.made my bed
4.Took out mom's trash
5.checked the oil in mom's car

Tim's five random acts of Kindness

2009-04-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

4/6/2009

1.Purchased new fan belt for mom's car.
2. replaced fan belt on Mom's car
3. Held the door for a man at the Auto parts store
4. Took out my brothers trash
5.cleaned my brother's dishes

Jade T's Acts of Kindness April 10-12

2009-04-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

April 10, 2009

1. I helped my little brother open his toy package.
2. I picked out Easter flowers for my Dad's grave.
3. I held the door for my mom and brother.
4. I helped my little brother get ready for bed.
5. I helped a friend at school.

April 11, 2009

1. I helped my little brother put his toys away.
2. I cleared the kitchen table
3. I helped my mom get ready for Easter.
4. I helped my mom fix the van seat.
5. I held the door for someone in my apartment building.

April 12, 2009

1. I shared a toy with Nathaniel.
2. I made my cousin feel comfortable in church.
3. I met my little brother in Sunday School so he didn't worry because my mom was helping my Grandmother
4. I carried a box up the stairs for my mom.
5. I helped my little brother brush his teeth.

Jade T Acts of Kindness April 8-9, 2009

2009-04-14T09:22:00.001-07:00

April 8, 2009

1. I held the door for a kid in a wheelchair at school.
2. I encouraged a friend that was frustrated
3. I washed the table.
4. I helped my little brother get into his car seat.
5. I helped my little brother at bedtime.

April 9, 2009

1. I shared my snack with a friend.
2. I helped a friend at school with Social Studies.
3. I gave a friend a pencil.
4. I helped my mom at the store.
5. I gave $2 to a charity that was collecting money at Walmart.

5 Acts of Kindness for April 7-9 (respectively)

2009-04-10T05:37:00.000-07:00

1. Paid for friends lunch
2. Let friend borrow money and told him not to pay me back
3. Helped student at his bakesale
4. Let friend borrow my sweatshirt so he wouldn't be cold
5. Held the door open for a group of people

6. Picked up Youth Group Leader's house after youth group
7. Played guitar for kids who complained about being bored
8. Paid for friends lunch (again)
9. Watched the boys so parents could go on a date
10. Talked kindly to someone who is always rude to me

11. Helped custodian pick up trash
12. Paid for a stangers food in the lunch line
13. Showed a friend how to use a computer program for a school project
14. Took out the trash
15. Stood up for friends when another was bullying them

2009-04-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

Tim's random acts of kindness
4/5/2009
Took out the trash
helped with the dishes
held the door for a guy at the store
Cleaned out my old room
Fixed mom's computer

2009-04-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

Tim's random acts of kindness
4/4/2009
Helped my mom with her laundry.
Held the door for my Mom.
I asked my Manager how her day was going.
Fixed my aunts car.
Asked the store clerk how she was doing.

Jade T's random acts of kindness April 7,2009

2009-04-08T14:19:00.001-07:00

1. Shared my snack with a friend who didn't have one.
2. I complimented a friend in gym class.
3. I gave a friend some lead for his pencil.
4. I gave someone my seat on the bus.
5. I helped my mom tidy the house.

Jade T's random acts of kindness April 6,2009

2009-04-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

1. Helped little brother play a game
2. Helped mom carry bags inside
3. Set the kitchen table for dinner.
4. Helped clear and wash the table
5. Helped little brother brush his teeth and get ready for bed.

Jade T's random acts of kindness April 5,2009

2009-04-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

1. Brought flowers to Grandmothers
2. Helped my cousin with her DS.
3. Helped little brother brush his teeth
4. Held the door for mom and brother
5. Put bikes away for Grampa

Jade T's random acts of kindness April 4, 2009

2009-04-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

1. Helped my mom clean the house.
2. Helped my brother fix his toy.
3. Helped my friend clean his room so he could play outside.
4. I played a game with my little brother.
5. I walked my little brother to the bathroom because he was scared.

Jade T's random acts of kindness April 3,2009

2009-04-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

1. Helped little brother brush his teeth
2. I gave a pencil to a classmate
3. Helped a friend with school work.
4. I held a door for a parent leaving karate class.
5. Put my brother to bed because my mom was sick.

5 Acts of Kindness for April 6, 2009

2009-04-06T15:46:00.000-07:00

1. Took out the trash
2. Spent time with a friend who needed to talk
3. Worked around someone else's schedule rather than having them work around mine
4. Held the door open for someone
5. Helped someone pick up papers that they dropped

5 Acts of Kindness for April 5, 2009

2009-04-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

1. Caught my friend as he was falling off a fence
2. Cleaned up the church after service
3. Got my brothers in the car for my step-mom
4. Helped my friend "open" a locked door (using my foot)
5. Carried out my sisters old TV while she was re-arranging her room

5 Acts of Kindness for April 4, 2009

2009-04-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

1. Bought coffee for my friends
2. Picked up trash around Concord
3. Took care of a co-workers errand
4. Bought sandwhiches for friends
5. Walked to the bank instead of asking someone for a ride

More than a feelin'

2009-04-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

Life is full of emotions. Love, anger, worry, excitement, sadness, joy...the list goes on. Lately, however, I've come to a realization: most of these are a choice. We can choose to love, or we can choose to hate. We can choose to worry, or we can choose to be concerned (different than worrying). With that said, I think we all make some pretty stupid choices throughout our day, and I'll be the first to say that more often that not I choose anger.

Anger is one of the MOST dangerous emotions, or "choices", we have/make. Anger leads to so many bad things in life, it's really astonishing. First, I want to talk about when anger is right. There are many situations where being angry is the right response. For example, if someone harms a loved one, you SHOULD be angry. Angry at what, though? That is the question. Be angry at what that person DID, not the person him/herself. I make a lot of mistakes, and if someone felt anger towards me everytime I did, I dare say I'd have less friends that I do today. Be angry at the action, not the person, and forgiveness is one of the greatest powers we have. To forgive someone is to remove anger from your heart, and take a burden off theirs. Even if they are not truely sorry, if you don't forive someone, it's going to affect every aspect of your life.

Now, that being said, anger can also be a very negative choice. Let's consider what some would call a "worse" act: murder. Killing someone, and we're talking voluntarily. What do most people feel when they do this? Hate, anger, etc., before, during and after the fact. So, anger can lead to things such as, but not limited to, murder. But, what if we are ALWAYS angry at someone? Have you ever wanted to kill someone? Just flat out throw them through a window? No, you may not have actually done it, but wanting to kill someone and actually doing it can have the similar effects! Because you are this angry, these thoughts can affect your relationships with others, and can even start to consume your daily lives with these feelings of hate.

Why did I write this? Because I have been personally struggling with anger for years, and have been lieing to myself and saying "Oh, this is just who I am." But it's not. It was my choice to let my anger take over, and there's so many things I wish I could take back. But the past is behind, and the future? That will come on it's own. We are in the present, and need to live as such. And, so, right now, in the present, I am going to choose to not let anger control my actions anymore, and I hope you all do the same!

5 Acts of Kindness

2009-04-04T07:22:00.000-07:00

I have to be honest. When I first thought of this, I said to myself: "Oh no! More homework!?". I'm sure I'm not alone on that one. But after thinking about 1. how easy it actually is and 2. how beneficial it is, I'm enouraging EVERYONE to partake in this. If we can continously do these small good deeds, then we are making a difference in the world. We may not be able to see it at that exact moment, and most of the time we don't. In fact, more often than not, NO ONE will appreciate what you do, and there will be no material reward.

So, why do any of this? Because it's right. Because if we don't, who will? You can never be sure. Despite your political views, religious views, or outlook on life, you can not deny that there are morals. Definitions of right and wrong, good and evil. So, ask yourself: Would you rather do good, or do evil? Not everybody is going to agree with you at first. They might even tell you that YOU are wrong because you're doing something good. Don't listen to them. If others are with you, good. If you are alone, great! It is then YOUR duty to be a "light" so to speak, to others around you! As you read on, my fifth act may be controversial, and some may consider it to not count. But, if you think about it, when someone does do wrong (which we all do, every single day), how many times do we actually apologize? An apology can go a long way, and helps not only someone else, but yourself as well.

So, with that said, here are my five for yesterday.

1. Helped Joey and sacrificed my time to help with his senior project.
2. Picked up trash around MVHS, a high school that is not my own.
3. Helped Timmy pay for his drink (quarters rule!)
4. Helped cheer up co-workers at Margaritas.
5. Apologized for getting angry at a co-worker at Margaritas.

2009-04-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

Timmy five random acts of kindness

4/3/2009
I helped and supported Joe during the presentation of his senior project.
I held the door for a student at M.V. high school.
I said hi and how are you doing , when i spoke to the secretary at the front desk.
I removed a chair from the path of a teacher in the cafiteri .
I complemented Xak on the Robot that he built .

Oh the Woes of Public Speaking!

2009-04-02T06:59:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Sempai Joe and I are both seniors in High School. And because of that, in order to graduate, we have to do a Senior Project, which basically brings everything together that we learned throughout our High School career. It involves submitting a Proposal of what we want to do our project on,--in my case, building a robot-- writing a paper about it, then actually building or doing the project.

Finally, over a period of two days, we have to present our projects to the community. Starting tonight, we have a Senior Project Showcase, where members of the community come in and see all of our wonderful projects. They will ask us questions about our project, and look around and all of that junk.

Tomorrow, we do a 10 minute presentation to a classroom on what we did for our project. Ask any senior, and they will tell you that they are nervous beyond belief! I know I am, which is why I took a little initiative and got some practice in.

My English teacher, Mr. Thompson, offered anyone who wanted to a chance to present our projects to the class, and get feedback from our peers. I was the only one who decided to do it. My fast-paced presentation clocked in at 6 minutes, well below the actual cut-off time for my speech. However, because this wasn't graded, I could take as much, or as little time as I wanted to. The class was EXCELLENT in asking as many questions as possible, in order to gain a better understanding of what my project was about, and how it applies to me. I wouldn't be as confident in my speech as I am now without all of those guys there, and I wish to thank them all!

So, tonight begins the wonderful hell-hole of presentations, and then tomorrow I put my graduation on the line within the hands of 10 sophomores and juniors. I think I'll do just fine!

Appreciate What You Have, Not What You Want

2009-03-22T17:08:00.001-07:00

You know what I have noticed lately that REALLY gets on my nerves? People who never appreciate what they already have. I know I sometimes might seem like that, how I never stop to think about what I already have, and and always seem like I want more and more. However, lately I have noticed that, compared to others, I'm not NEARLY as bad as I once thought.

I had a conversation with my girlfriend's mother last night before I went home about her job. She works for Child and Family Services. If you don't know what that is, she is the person that goes to your house if the state thinks that your children are being neglected, and that you are being a bad parent. Now, she's not the person that takes your children away from you, let me make that clear, but she is called in to assess the family situation and makes recommendations to parents on how to be better for their children, even if their circumstances aren't always that great.

I had started off this conversation by asking something that had kind of been in the back of my head for a while now: "Why is it that low income families seem to have more children running around the home than families with higher incomes? Wouldn't you think that with the less money you're making, you would be dissuaded from having children?"

She countered that by saying how some families have higher priorities for where their money goes to. As an example, she told me about a client that she has, where they have multiple children living at home. The family unfortunately is in a situation where they have to make the tough choice of deciding that week where the money is going to go to, whether to pay the rent, buy food, pay for prescriptions, buy gas, etc. She goes on to say that within that same family, the eldest of the children are forced to work multiple jobs just so they can help bring money in to pay for the essentials like food. There's no place for birth controll on that budget!

However, a wider picture was layed out before my eyes. It is truly saddening to think that some families are forced to make that choice, whether to pay for prescriptions to help with your cancer, or to buy food to feed 6 hungry children. And having the older kids work multiple jobs to help feed the family, when OBVIOUSLY they would much rather be hanging out with friends and enjoying their youth, is also a sad though. However, especially in today's age of bad economy and a poor job market, families like this are forced into an ever harder situation than in previous years.

Now, while I'm not preaching that you should open up your wallets and donate every cent you have worked to earn to these people, I AM preaching that you take a step back from the "Go-Go-Go, Me-Me-Me" society that we are living in nowadays, and appreciate what you have! Not happy that your favorite brand of cookies wasn't purchaced when you went to the grocery store today with your parents? Be happy that you HAVE the opportunity to buy tasty (albeit unhealthy) snacks for you to enjoy, when other children are forced to go to bed hungry. Stop demanding new things, like cell phones, and laptops, just because other people around you are getting those. Learn to love what you have now, or you never will be able to love anything at all.

P.S. While I know I have been talking about getting a new laptop with cool features and all that jazz for a while now, know that I actually NEED a laptop next year for college. While, yes, a laptop with a built-in Blu-Ray player and High Definition screen aren't TOTALLY necessary for college, it's nice to have so I won't grow tired of the laptop I will (hopefully, keep your fingers crossed!!) be getting, and go home to mommy and daddy crying for a new laptop. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself! ;)

Woes of a Busy Teenager

2009-03-04T18:22:00.001-08:00

Often times, whenever I complain about something that is either happening, or has already happened to an adult figure in my life, I always get rebuked by that person, and always with the same thing. "Oh, you think YOUR life is bad!? Why don't you try living my life! I have to..." And they just list off whatever they have to do in their life.

While I'm not rebuking them back, by saying that whatever they have to do is pointless and stupid, I'm rather trying to defend my position. "How so?" you may be asking. "What exactly are you saying?"

Whether its trying to make friends, dealing with the "joys" of puberty, trying to figure out if so-and-so likes you, getting through school, or maintaining a household or business, each generation has their own problems that they have to deal with, each being just as significant to that person as it is everyone else.

Think about this. You're a 10 year-old girl just hitting puberty. Your body is changing around you, while your mind still thinks like a young adolescent. You're starting to like boys, and you think about this one particular boy a lot, while everyone around says the same thing, "He's too old for you." "You'll have plenty of time for boys later!" and so on and so forth.

Now, consider this. You're a 27 year old man. You have a respectable job with a bachelor's degree in your favorite subject, and you got it from a great school. You just recently proposed to the love of your life, and before the wedding, you two are trying to look for a new house. However, the realtor isn't very helpful, all of the houses within your price-range aren't what you want, and everything that you DO want is too much. The pressure is on from both sides of the family to find the absolute perfect home, and your fiance even hints that she wants the reception to take place at the house. Great... more stress, right?

But which situation is worse to be in? Sure, having a crush on a boy that obviously doesn't like you in that way is less important in the long run than finding a home. And with the prices of everything going through the roof in this economy, balancing price and the perfect home to live in and raise a family in can add even more stress onto your life.

However, each of these situations puts the same amount of pressure on the person experiencing them as the other situation is stressing out the other person, if that makes sense at all. While each situation is completely different in both subject and scope, that's not what makes them so horrible. Rather, what makes it horrible is how the PERSON feels about them. That girl may think the WORLD of that boy, and might be crushed to death because he doesn't like them like that. That man wants the PERFECT home for his new wife and children-to-be. But to those people, the situations they experience add the same amount of pressure.

So the next time your child, or your friend, or your co-worker, or someone else comes up to you and explains a situation that, while to you may not seem like a big deal, to them is nothing more than hell, instead of rebuking them and shoving it back into their face, try and see the situation through that person's eyes, and even more important, try and help that person out and teach them the right thing to do, instead of making fun of them for feeling how they do.

My Journey to the Land of Wine and Cheese

2009-01-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

I just returned from teaching a series of seminars in France. I tell you this not to brag but so you will understand why I went through what I am about to tell you!
I began my journey to my host country with a two hour bus ride from my home in Concord NH to Logan Airport in Boston MA. Because of the bus schedule, I should have arrived three hours before my flight. After going through a relatively easy time in security, I was beginning to feel like maybe for once my journey to France would be easy (all five years I have gone, something has happened!). Well.....
I was informed that my flight was delayed for an hour and a half. Okay. Four and one half hours in an airport...I found a quiet, unoccupied area and proceeded to do my pushups and crunches. Thank God noone came around as they would have thought I lost my mind!
Next began the wait. I was flying from Boston to Madrid and connecting to Toulouse France. I looked at my boarding passes and suddenly discovered that my connecting flight had been changed. I began to feel my blood pressure rise. I called my wife. I called the airlines. I went to the ticket counter. They informed me that there was only two flights from Madrid to Toulouse and I would miss the first and have to take the second. The problem was the second one did not leave until 6 and a half hours after I arrived. Groan!
I arrived in Madrid feeling like something a dog had just thrown up. Unkept, tired, in need of food and a shower. (I cannot sleep on planes!) I discovered that because my flight did not leave for six hours, there was not even a gate set for me flight. If you have ever been to the Madrid airport, it is 46 minutes from one end to the other! So I had to wait in the middle. There were no seats here so I had to sit on the floor. I went in search of a secluded area, did my pushups and crunches, went to the restrooms and bathed using antibacterial wipes, and then set off to hunt...err...find some food. I was please to find a place called "Healthy Eats" and had a wonderful breakfast. After breakfast I claimed my spot, put on my Ipod and began reading "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. It was an appropriate book for an appropriate time as it turned out.
I finally arrived in Toulouse and my friend took me the two hour drive to Perpignan where my seminars would be and we ate a wonderful dinner! I was also surprised to find a friend of mine I have not seen in seven years traveled from his home in Finland to attend my seminar!
Now mind you I do not speak French, but that did not matter as I was surrounded at my seminars with martial artists from France, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Finland and Switzerland and language seemed to be no hinderance to the wonderful friendship and kinship that permeated the whole weekend. We even trained and learned together as a huge hurricane swept through the area and rendered no power to a 100km area!
Now come the return adventure. After a two hour drive to Toulouse, I boarded my two hour flight to Madrid. I had a three and one half hour lay over in Madrid and then a nine and one half hour flight to Chicago. I made my flight's gate to Boston just as they were boarding the plane. Chicago to Boston..another two and a half hour flight. In Boston, after exchanging my French monopoly money, I arrived at the baggage carousel to find the luggage just coming out and my bag is the first one! I have a short 15 minute wait for my bus back to Concord. Two hours later I arrive in Concord to see my beautiful wife and daughter waiting for me! It was then that I realized, that my return trip had proceeded without a hitch.
I found throughout my journey that my patience was tested and when I became negative in any way, the outcome became negative! When I accepted what was and enjoyed the moment, the moments were so enriching. Despite all the travel, I made friendships, enjoyed kinships with people who did not speak very much of each others language and enjoyed some of the finest wine and food in my hosts country! I was treated like family! I was embarrassed and bewildered when I was shown a newspaper article about me in the French National Newspaper! It proclaimed "The Return of an American Grandmaster, the Peoples Teacher."
I find it bewildering, because all I did was share my life, my experiences and the lessons I have learned with a group of dedicated and wonderful people. I am no one special, just a simple person who enjoys seeing people learn and smile.
It is good to be home!

2009-01-20T10:47:00.000-08:00

As I was watching and waiting, like most of the country and some of the world today, for our new President to be inaugurated into office I saw one of my hero's, Muhammad Ali, being escorted to his seat. What came over me next was sort of...unexpected. I was overwhelmed with this emotion, not sure if it was joy or sadness, but tears flowed none the less.
Here is a man finally getting to see one of the dreams he has fought for most of his life coming true. I wondered in that moment if Ali dreamed he would live to see this day. I know he felt deep in his heart the burning desire to see a day when racial barriers would be shattered. In some ways he shattered some himself, but he could not have not known that he played a monumental role in the historical events that happened today. He was part of the line of warriors who without violence, changed the face of history.
True, Ali was a boxer. That did not make him a fighter. His fight against prejudice and racism made him a fighter. But what makes Ali a true warrior was that he embraced all this to create a man who spoke out against that which was wrong but also held no bitterness or resentment. He was a man who believed and still believe in the goodness and heart of man.
Ali is the pinnacle, to me, of what we, as martial artist, who follow in the footsteps of warriors and hero, should be. We should be men who do not wish to fight, but will step up to the challenge when our beliefs, values and principles are threated. We will educate, inspire and make a change in history. We may not, unlike Ali, ever see the difference we have made. Martin Luther King Jr did not live to see his dream come true but it did. The point is simple: History cannot change if men and women of passionate heart and unyielding spirit do nothing it cause change. Don't just watch history, create history, change history, BE HISTORY!!!

2009-01-05T14:21:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone in UBBT land and beyond!

I do not know how many others in the UBBT felt the sense of purpose and destiny that I felt as midnight approached on January 1. There have been several moments in my life where I have felt I had been granted a second chance but I do not recall a time where I felt as if a life anew was to begin.

I have never considered myself as a school owner or anyone of any authority, just simply a martial artist. I have dedicated my whole life in the pursuit of living my life the way a martial artist should. With that said...life happens!

It was easy to live the life when I was young, strong and really had no one other than myself to be responsible for. Now I find myself in the positions of husband, father, teacher (not only in my school but worldwide through my responsibilites in the Dillman Karate International organization) and role model. Life is happening...and it is becoming increasingly harder to live the life ...or is it?

Although we study the martial arts, the arts of combat, what we truly study is the art of life. No other activity parallels life in so many ways as does the arts. No other activity forces you to face so many challenges, both inside and out. No other activity evolves with its particpants.
When I first began my training, it was for pure self defense. I wanted to be fast, strong and powerful. A warrior of sorts. Soon I discovered that those would be the simplest of challenges. It was the mental aspects, mostly patience, self esteem and ego, that would be my biggest challenges.

Fast forward to today. I am a father and take the job very seriously, but see that not only has that helped to be a better teacher in the dojo, but the dojo has taught me to be a better father. I used to always joke that the dojo and my child students had prepared me to deal with my daughter when she became age 6 and up.

I am a school owner, albiet not very business orientated, as I feel more my sense of duty to guide those who have chosen to let me share with them the lessons that I have learned. This to me is the crux of all that I do and one of the reasons I continue to train daily and to constantly seek out challenges like the UBBT. How can we share lessons learned with our students if we do not face those lessons first and learn from them. When I was young I was fortunate enough to have an older brother who often got into trouble. I learned early on that if I did not want to get into trouble, do not do what he did (or at least don't get caught!). He, in a way, was my teacher.
I guess what I am trying to say is that life is a teacher just as much as any person can be, but not if you do not step up and live it. I have devoted myself to the motto "when I die, I do not want people to remember how I died, but how I lived!"

I ended 2008 with the following totals:
57,750 push ups and crunches
693 reps of 12 different Katas, miles walked/biked/ran, rounds of bag work/sparring
22 hours of boxing
115 hours of mat time
10 community activitism projects completed
563 Random Acts
27 Public performances (teaching and demonstrating at various seminars)daily weight training with free weightsand so much more
This however was just getting myself ready for the 13 months to come on Team 6!

Totals thus far since Jan 1,2009
1000 push ups and crunches (200 each daily)
15 reps each of 12 katas (Naihanchi 1-3, Sanchin, Bassai, Seiuchin, Kusanku and Hatkutsuru) (3 reps of each daily)
15 rounds at 3 - five minute rounds of bagwork dailyDaily free weight training
15 miles of running on treadmill