Quote

If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself. -Confucius, philosopher and teacher (c. 551-478 BCE)

Changes

That which was, cannot be again. That which is, will not always be. That which will be cannot be fully known until it is that which was.

Quote

I don't necessarily agree with everything I say. -Marshall McLuhan, cultural historian and communications theorist (1911-1980)

The old path.

The old path lies behind me. It's ways known by so many, its surface trodden by feet uncountable. This path is not mine. I have chosen another path and I may yet find happiness along this other way.

Epiphany

I'm sure I've written about this before, but it has resurfaced in my life:

Love thy neighbor as thyself.

Briefly, this has become so obvious to me again. If I can't love myself, how can I love anyone else. This can also reach further in saying to do more for others than for yourself may be an overstatement. Do for yourself first and in equal proportion as what you do for others. Unlike some in my family who seem to think they must only do for others, I hope to be past that soon.

As ye sew, so shall ye reap.

I used to read tarot cards for myself and for friends. Mind you, this was back in high school. I soon got to the point, however, that I could no longer read for myself. I would invariably draw the cards necessary to make the reading say what ever I wanted it to say. It finally dawned on me 15 years later what this means. I am capable of making it turn out that way. Anything I want, I am capable of getting. Anything I desire, is there for me. All I need do is but stretch forth my hand and take it. (*duh*)

And finally, not everyone is as blind as you'd like them to be.

This is especially true of long time martial artists. *sigh* The brain does work, honest. Once in a while, it's just a little sluggish, especially when distracted by car problems.

A circle of friends

A potential,
a longing
for things as they could be.

A desire,
a hope
for things that might be.

A doubt,
a fear
of loss as it was before.

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all. -Stanley Horowitz

Someone else who loves Autumn as I do...

Quote

If you believe the doctors, nothing is wholesome; if you believe the theologians, nothing is innocent; if you believe the military, nothing is safe. -Lord Salisbury, British prime minister(1830-1903)

Soft vs. Hard

Just a quick reminder: Punches are for soft targets. Palm-heel strikes are for harder targets. I foolishly ignored this rule yesterday while executing a speed-break punch. Although the board broke, my hand is now swollen and somewhat less usable than usual. *shrug* Oh well. Live and learn (in theory). It's so T'ai Chi to apply a hard surface to a soft target and a soft surface to a hard target. Only a schmuck studying Taekwondo (or some other hard/external martial art) would think otherwise. *raises hand* Yes, that would be me. *sigh*

Assumptions are the termites of relationships. -Henry Winkler, actor (1945- )

In regards to my September 25 post, the coworker I was going to write about seems to have calmed down a bit. She's still making some not-so-good decisions in my opinion, but I guess those are her decisions to make. It's just a real shame that the students have to suffer for her short-sightedness.

In other news, I noticed a bit of duplicitous behavior in someone I thought was bordering on being a friend. Oh well. I'm certainly not innocent of that charge, so I guess I don't have a lot to complain about.

In T'ai Chi the other day, I noticed once again how everything is circular and how everything flows. It also becomes obvious how the circle can defeat the line. This can be applied to so many areas of life. If someone attacks you verbally, it is often more successful to redirect their argument instead of attacking in return. This is also far harder than reacting to their verbal blows. It can be very satisfying to trounce someone at a battle of words, crushing them with your own witty repartee. Unfortunately, this can also lead to bad feelings on the losers part.

The quest continues for the meaning of this existence. But alas, unless I want to become a sheep, no one is going to tell me how to find it. My quest is my own. Blessed be.