Vive la boxedor! Boxing is a great teacher of discipline, respect, and hard work and self-control. It is proven that sport involvement results in positive self-esteem, good health, and camaradarie for life. As an adult, I am thankful for my healthy, athletic childhood as it makes my adult years richer. I can enjoy activities and look and feel great. And now I share this gift whenever I can. A few years ago my partner introduced me to Aprons For Gloves, a program created by Vancouver's East Side Boxing Gym. And, as someone who survived the rough streets of Vancouver, I was excited to be a part of a program that helps at-risk youth. What started out as a charitable veture has turned into one of the most satisfying and gratifying elements of my life. I have made lifetime connections, helped build a tight-knit service industry 'family', and most of all, I learned that absolutely ANYTHING is possible. After a bad accident in 2008 that left me with a brain injury and PTSD, I was given a laundry list of activities that I shouldn't and couldn't do anymore. This list had items as mundane as climbing a ladder and riding a bike. The fear of one more concussion was enough to practially write off any activity requiring more than so much of a handshake or blink. And, I believed them for a time...Until I was introduced to gloves. Fall 2011. It is a warm, humid day in Puerto Vallarta and on my hands are sparring mitts. On the other end, my very cheeky, intimidating boyfriend; eyes flashing from behind his fists. He prepares his jab. That first SNAP on the pad shakes me and at this moment, I realize just how cerebral my life had been up to now. The fear vibrates though my body. He places me in jabbing position and lets me have at it. It takes a while to silence the critics in my head. How could they possibly know how to box when I don't? All of the critisism and authority in my head that had been controlling me my entire life is finally in a fight with me and my true self. Boxing created an environment for me to finally begin the healing process. For the first time in years, I can hear myself, and better yet, trust myself. The taste of confidence is on my lips. My partner is a seasoned coach. He has seen this before...at the gym. Ever since that moment in the sun I knew what it was going to take for me to find happiness and build a good life. I could no longer ignore the inbalance life serves us. My soul has always been committed to this world and all who share Earth as home. Every action has purpose. Even small community efforts will change the world. Now is a time to roll up our sleeves and work toward bringing society back to a place of sustainability, both for our planet and future generations.
For more information, click here or visit www.apronsforgloves.com.
1 Comment
Looking for a new job is tough and stressful! Just the process of job search and application becomes a full time job in itself (I'm starting to understand why so many vocational bloggers write this...). After wording out countless cover letters and creatively working multiple versions of yourself on paper, you begin to feel less like a human and more like a list of active ingredients in a commercial cleaner: "Hard working and dependable. Cuts grease and leaves no residue...." Dizzy from application-nation and waiting for the hopeful tsunami of response, I try to find ways to keep light and to stay focused on the true task at hand: living. We have all been there. The world is moving so fast around you that even your partner, who wakes next to you every morning, feels the loneliness. You are somewhere else in your head. We feel the vice grip of responsibility baring down. Our mounting bills become villains in our sleep....all the while we could be enjoying the moments we have instead of filling them with invisible worries and to-do lists. Work does not define you. It can enhance your life and what you may be able to with yours, however, it certainly will not be the one thing you will care about during your last moments on this earth. No one else will actually care about how magnificent your organization skills were, or the fact that you closed the largest settlement case at your firm. What they will care about is how you lived your life and how you treated others within it. Sometimes we do not get to spend time with those we care about most. It is hard to endure long hours, days, weeks, without connecting with other warm bodies and engaged minds. When I can't do this, I turn to my art. Making photo-mashes of my friends and family keeps the mood light and happy. These are projects made to put smiles on faces, and it is a special way that I get to spend time with those I care about when they are not with me (and even sometimes when they are...poor partners and children can miss the most).
Sure, I could be spending more of my open time creating 'serious' works of art and/or practicing new techniques to build my ever growing portfolio. But if all of your time is spent like this, you will miss out on the small nuances of life that bring joy and love. Your vocation/talents/art etc. will always be growing and evolving, the work doesn't ever end, we must release the feeling of a strict time limit on life, or that we cannot be successful without money or titles. Just remember that if you were to die today, that inbox will still be full in the morning. So, I'm going to let that inbox stay put every night and not take it to bed with me. I will work hard on getting more sleep and more moments with loved ones. After all, this is the only time we have. And I choose to keep it fun. ...... How do you keep the fun? Comment below. I love to hear your stories too! |
©AllieBlogWelcome to ©Allieblog. Categories
All
Archives
January 2015
|