|
Practising with Nunchakus is an exciting and fun way to enhance coordination, improve motor skills and develop self control
Hi everyone,
I had a great visit to Royal Oak Primary on August the 2nd through the New Zealand Book Council. The students were very responsive and respectful. They and the staff certainly made me feel welcome.
During the visit I read from my books Taming the Taniwha and Warrior Kids. We discussed Habits of Mind and the value and importance of establishing constructive habits in our lives. I talked about having to face habits and behaviours early in my life that were not constructive such as inappropriate ways of managing anger and other emotions. And all of this was achieved with a great deal of laughter and fun. A big thank you to Royal Oak Primary for their warm hospitality.
Southern Cross Junior School has been added to my lists of schools to visit in August. I will be visiting Southern Cross Junior School on Wednesday the 11th. My other visits and events this month include…
Monday 9 August
Mt Roskill Grammar – Author Visit through the New Zealand Book Council
Thursday 19 August & Friday 20 August
Storylines Northland Story Tour
Saturday 21 August
Storylines Family Day, Whangarei
Sunday 22 August
Storylines Family Day, Auckland
Tuesday 31 August – Saturday 4 September
Taranaki Children’s Book Festival 2010
When I first started Warrior Kids, I wanted an icon to be a part of the logo. I wanted an animal that would appeal to children and that would also suggest strength and sincerity. I explored a number of options, but in the end settled on an elephant.
Elephants are family orientated. If a baby complains, the entire family will rumble and go over to touch and caress it. Elephants have greeting ceremonies for when a friend that has been away for some time returns to the group.
These majestic animals grieve at the loss of a stillborn baby, a family member, and in many cases other elephants. Elephants cry, play, have incredible memories, and laugh!
 One of my young adult students in 1994, Conroy Young, a magnificent artist, got to work and designed an elephant for Warrior Kids.
This elephant named ‘AL’ was the image for Warrior Kids up until a few years ago when I decided to continue without him. At the 16 year celebration of Warrior Kids in June, Catherine Hannken gave a speech and stated that someone was missing. She then gifted me an original Warrior Kids T-shirt bearing the elephant to hang up in the centre. This of course got me thinking and so I’m pleased to announce that ‘AL’ is now back in his rightful place as the icon of Warrior Kids.
In the last week of July, Tania Lewis of Whangarei was driving her 16-year old son’s Mitsubishi when she stopped to help a woman who waved her down. The pair drove off, but were pursued by a hammer-wielding man who rammed the car with his own vehicle. The two women ended up escaping on foot and hid until police arrived.
Tania is being hailed as a hero and is receiving praise and gifts from people all over New Zealand. There is no mention of Martial Arts experience here. This is just a woman who went to the aid of another and ended up successfully protecting herself and the woman she had picked up.
Tania is an inspiration for all of us and her actions demonstrate that we all have a natural instinct when it comes to survival. Even without a black belt.
The martial arts world is full of ‘what if’ possibilities. These most commonly feature formidable attacks that know no end. Many martial arts and action movies are a reflection of ‘what if’ scenarios, and yet you would be hard pressed to find anything that resembled a real life story among them. They are works of fiction. Statistically you are more likely to be hurt by someone you know than by a stranger. People are also more likely to harm themselves through their own actions, such as reckless or drink driving, poor eating habits, smoking, drug taking, a lack of exercise, excessive risk taking and acts of carelessness or the mismanagement of stress and emotions.
What if the world ends? But what if it doesn’t? When it comes to ‘what if’ scenarios it works both ways. There are endless ‘what if’ possibilities that might occur for an attacker. As demonstrated above with Tania’s story, it can go either way.
Life is full of ‘what if’ possibilities and it is important not to get hung up on them. Otherwise you are more likely to fall victim to depression and poor health. Dwelling on ‘what if’ possibilities generate fear, anxiety and stress. Paranoia also comes to mind. This is very taxing on our health and well being.
When faced with a threat, Tania Lewis responded appropriately. Developing constructive habits of managing our stress and emotions (physically, mentally and spiritually) will prepare us for ‘what if’ scenarios. With this confidence we’ll be able to face whatever comes our way. We’ll have the confidence to simply relax and focus on what’s in front of us, rather than to dwell on ‘what if’ possibilities.
Regards
Tim
Photos courtesy of Paul McSweeny, thank you.
|
