Glad I missed the bus


My training has continually taught me and re-taught me of how to refine myself. By refining my physical abilities I am able to sharpen my mental skills and percieve the actions of my life through what some would call wisdom. Every master of every creed and type will eventually step into an arena of clarity, a heightened since of perception that can only be called truth.


Bruce Lee, Tiger Woods, Micheal Jordan, Muhummad Ali, Albert Einstein and other masters, were able to use their craft to explain a portion of what would be purpose.


However on this very same path without guidance we can be tricked into stepping into a darkness with in ourselves that can lead us to perverse our own gift. Man being riddle with flaws, we must always stay connected with the source or we could completely lose ourselves.


Every day there is a chance to look into the energy of your own life and choose to grow stronger or grow weaker. We have no control over the things that happen to us but complete control over how we may respond.


Today while getting ready to take the bust to practice I had to run to the bank first. I missed the bus for practice and was going to have to wait a half hour for the next one. I was supposed to be there early to help the master teach for a demonstration next week. Instead I was going to be over an hour late.


At this moment I had the choice of being blinded by my frustrations or look into the benefit of missing the bus. I looked around and noticed the sun shining through a tree that hit the bus stop sign and casted a shadow that reminded me of a movement. As I came closer I noticed the tree had laid out perfect spots on the ground for me to practice my footwork stepping.


I dropped my bag and immediately seized the opportunity to understand the message being sent to me. I practiced my foot work right there on the spot and unlocked the flow training that I had been working on for the past few months. I was able to take my training to a brand new level only because I stopped to look around.


If I had chosen to be down and disappointed, I would have missed the entire lesson of the day. Don't get frustrated, learn to understand, life truly is magical.

Comments

Josh Leeger said…
Hi Robert,
I just moved to the Seattle area, and am a Gao practitioner (student of George Wood's). Do you know of any Gao practitioners in Seattle?
Thanks!
Josh
February 1, 2011 at 8:56 AM
Josh Leeger said…
need to subscribe to replies here...
February 1, 2011 at 8:58 AM
Robert Jay Arnold 孔有有 said…
I will be in Seattle coming in April. So hopefully I would be able to work with you myself. Take care keep it up.
February 8, 2011 at 5:55 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Finding my Qi: The Story of Robert Jay Arnold

Image
(Note: It's been about ten years since my last serious blog entry so this is a bit lengthy. Get a soda, some chips or coffee and enjoy the trip. Thanks) To Qi or not to Qi, that is the question. Myself I have never been a skeptic, but always a realist. Whatever works in terms of self-defense, was adopted into the arsenal. But effectiveness has always gone hand in hand with truth. Is Qi something real? Or just an ancient Chinese parlor trick used to bring in more students. This is my journey, my search and discovery. A highlight from 4 years old to 40; my evolution in the martial arts. I began my training at the age of four, under my militant-ass father, strictly for reasons of not getting "dusted" by the other boys on the playground. My brothers and I started with Taekwondo and boxing, but my father and old school Korean instructor weren't as concerned with the art in terms of how it looked, as they were with self-preservation. "How can you k...
Read more

The Image Nation

Image
As children we are taught the importance of imagination for the purpose of keeping busy, being creative or just having fun with friends. More than likely because it is introduced to us at such an early age, it’s generally depicted as childish or even worse…a form of fantasy. We often forget that our bodies in many ways are like a universe, made of 30 trillion cells with different functions, most of which are automated, keeping us alive without us needing to understand the extent of their purpose. However, every so often a thought about what we are made of can help us understand a hint of our value, direction and most importantly, perception. What does it mean to perceive something? How is it different from seeing, viewing or witnessing an event? The word “per” as one definition states is containing the largest possible portion of an element. This means as a “per son” you contain the most of who you are. The word “ceive” means to obtain or to get something. In short, we coul...
Read more

Part 1: The White Jade Tiger 白玉老虎 （英文板）

Image
 In my free time I enjoy reading and translating Chinese classical novels. Here's the first scene from one of them. If you are interested in something like this, please leave a message. Thanks and God bless.  This story is called The White Jade Tiger, written by Gu long. Published in 1976 Chapter One It's an enchanting spring day, an exceptionally important day for someone in particular. Willy Zhao, lays on the warm bed attempting to regain strength after the long ride. His steed, powerful and quick, had taken him over 200 miles in a relatively short time. Still, afterwards he found the need to rest his head on the soft and fragrant sheets. The bed belonged to a woman, Shanna, who is even softer and more fragrant than the luxurious mattress. Every time she knew she would meet with Willy, she attempted to make herself even more desirable. The rays of the sun shine through the window,  the breeze carries in the aroma of the abundant flowers surrounding the house. As Willy l...
Read more