Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Everyone got DESSERT !!!

Tonight was a pivotal moment in my parenting-life. My husband and I brought our littles out to dinner...ages 9 & 6...and if you can believe it: no one had to be dragged out of the restaurant kicking & screaming; no one had to be "warned" 856 times that if they didn't stop "that" there would be no dessert; no one needed to be threatened that "when we get home your night is OVER young lady (or man depending).

In fact...we laughed, we giggled, we smiled and best of all EVERYONE GOT DESSERT !!!

SUCCESS!!! YES!!!

:o)

Monday, April 25, 2011

Embrace your Framily...we've all got'em...

It's funny, this was going to be a long & convoluted description of what my favorite term "Framily" is. But after typing, deleting, revising, re-typing & deleting...I decided to go with the whole K.I.S.S technique...(Keep It Simple Stupid ;)

Framily is nothing more/nothing less than "Friends" who are like Family. These "friends" can be biologically related, non-biologically related, 6th cousins twice removed...quoting the old movie Meatballs: "It.Just.Doesn't.Matter."

The people you can call on day or night; rain or shine; after 10 mins or 10 years of seeing each other last and you can just pick right up where you last left off...THESE are the people who make up your Framily.

Think about it for a few seconds or minutes...you too, most likely, have a number of Immediate and/or Extended Framily members dating back to your childhood, teen years, post-college years and/or pre-"responsible adult" years. Whoever they are...be them mothers, fathers, sisters, brother, cousins, best friends, college roommates, old co-workers, step-siblings, half-siblings, teammates from yester-year or yesterday..."it just doesn't matter".

Embrace Framily :o}

Monday, March 21, 2011

to be or not be...a Martial Artist ;)

Japanese Martial Arts, Korean Martial Arts, Indian Martial Arts, Chinese Martial Arts and Brazilian Martial Arts. Within those cultural arts, there are hundreds of specific art-forms. To name a few, we have: Karate, Aikido, Juijutsu, Judo, Taekwondo, Hapkido, Kuttu Varisai, Varma Kalai, Kung Fu, Tai Chi Chuan, Capoeira & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu...

From my recent perusing and reading on the topic of being a Martial Artist, all art-forms appear to teach the same basic principles: Modesty, Courtesy, Integrity, Self Control, Perseverance and Indomitable Spirit.

Modesty: possessing and exhibiting humility; behavior, manner, or appearance intended to avoid impropriety or indecency and expressing these traits through work ethic & motivation for self improvement

Courtesy: gentle politeness and courtly manners; kindness and consideration expressed in a sophisticated and elegant way

Integrity: a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes; honesty and truthfulness of one's actions

Self Control: the ability to control one's emotions, behavior and desires

Perseverance: continuing in a course of action without regard to discouragement, opposition or previous failure; persistent determination to adhere to a plan of direction; insistence

Indomitable Spirit: a refusal to be beaten, no matter how tough, talented or big the obstacle


Lately, I've been faced with a few situations recently, both personally and socially, that has lead me to the point of researching the true meaning of being a Martial Artist. As I sit here and type out the definitions, I'm comfortable enough in my own skin and character that I can consider myself a Martial Artist. I post this out here for others to read, then ask themselves as straight-forward as possible: Do you walk the walk or simply talk the talk?

Only the deep, down inside 'You' can answer this...

* ya know...like with Integrity and all ;)

Monday, February 7, 2011

Naïve or just plain Ignorant?

...either/or is not good...but in my opinion ignorance is intolerable, since it is also reversible...no?

As always, I will first go to the definitions and then ramble on from there...so as to not be ignorant myself ;)

Naïve : "a French loanword (adjective, form of naïf) indicating having or showing a lack of experience, understanding or sophistication; in early use, it meant natural or innocent, and did not connote ineptitude."

Ignorance: "a state of being uninformed (lack of knowledge). The word "ignorant" is an adjective describing a person in the state of being unaware and is often used as an insult."

By definition, one who is Naïve is simply inexperienced & does not understand that they are unaware. To me the implication is that as you gain experience you would naturally lose a level of naïveté.

Unfortunately, if you are deemed Ignorant, your uninformed state is caused by lack of knowledge, which I see as a willful condition. A condition that one can quickly alter by seeking out the knowledge that he/she lacks. Once confronted with said knowledge, you can no longer plead ignorance. At this point your denial of information that is at your fingertips results in what I call "Intentional Ignorance" --> a completely unacceptable state of mind.

Intentional Ignorance has been a pet peeve of mine since my earliest memory. I've found that most people who appear to be ignorant, choose to be as it is less complicated than to acknowledge the information that has been demonstrated or explained to them. Those who willfully choose not to see what is right in front of their very own noses are in fact denying knowledge.

The denial of knowledge leads to the use of my #2 pet peeve: the belief in the phrase "it's just the way it is."

"It's just the way it is"...another completely unacceptable way to look at the world around you. If the likes of Elizabeth Cady Stanton or Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr held fast to the thought of the masses during their times, Black people would still be sitting in the backs of buses & Women would still be unable to vote.

...and while the examples I reflect on are extreme situations...they stemmed from what was commonplace and acceptable. If you personally contribute to the mindset that "it is just the way it is" for ANYTHING...you personally contribute to suppression and oppression of others.

If you are faced with factual information and you choose to deny it...you are being part of the cause and in no way, shape or form, being part of the solution.

...just think about that for a moment.