A Challenge

So by now I suppose most of my siblings know that I'm in Tae Kwon Do classes. My mom found out yesterday evening. I'm sure my mom had a lot to say about this. I know because my mom is pretty forthcoming with her opinions.

Guess what! She doesn't think I'll make it to black belt! It's kinda of funny. She knows the best way to get me to do something is to say I can't do it. It's a challenge. Now I wonder if my mom is basically using reverse psychology on me. But you know it doesn't matter. I'm going to make it to black belt. I already have a pretty good axe kick. The only thing I need to work on is my extension.

What I'm finding out is that my ballet training is inhibiting some of my movement. My main problem is the tenets of ballet is to keep your supporting leg totally straight; whereas, in TKD a bent knee is EXPECTED on the supporting leg. Bent knees are the total premise of this martial arts.

Last night I learned that you are expected to "stay" low. Once you are in fighter's position STAY there. Grant it makes sense. But muscle memory is hard to "erase" after years-- no decades of training.

Another draw back for me is my knees. They aren't so good anymore and I have to wear braces to keep them in proper position. My petella often roams around. Despite this I've been doing well. Only a little aches here and there.

Here's a funny for ya. One of the masters is a twentysomething young man. HE is GORGEOUS! Eye Candy. I swear! Now don't think I have crush on him I don't but he does make the class more appealing. I think he has an ego to go with his looks, too.

As I departed from my mother she told me that I would have done better in Zumba. I like Zumba but it's hard to get to class and since I don't have to pay for it I often skip it. I pay for this so I go. I mean I'm not going to lose that money. Plus I sweat ever so much more in TKD than I did in Zumba. Yep, Mom, all you did was make me more determined to make black belt. I'm only on white but I'm closer to yellow than I was when I first started. I think I might even get some private lessons. I need to catch up after all. Oh are you wondering why I joined the Black Belt club? Well I was trying to keep MI interested in TKD. She wants to quit. I'm not letting her quit because she needs to understand comittment. Tough you say. Damn betcha. She needs some toughness in her life. She needs to achieve something.

Colors

When I was a little girl my mother's furniture were Earth-tones. The winged chairs upholstery was fairly large flowers of yellow, green, brown and gold. The couch was that aweful green of the '70s (Mainly because it was the '70s). The fabric had large loops of threads. The threads were made of some sort of synthetic material. I always enjoyed pressing the loops under my finger nails. But I hated it when I was sick or it was summer time. That material just made you swelter in the already sweltering heat of West Texas.

I hate the colors my mother chose for her livings room. I remember thinking when I was a little girl that my furniture would be pinks and other pastel colors. Well in choosing the chairs for my living room guess what color I chose? Gold! The material for the valance I bought is mostly gold toned. The material I bought for the teak chairs is a reddish brown. What in the world happened to me? Where did all the pink and pastels go to?

Okay, my reading room furniture is a purplish color but even then the arm chair and ottoman is more gold. My living room couch is a striped beast of navy, burgundy, with tiny stripes of gold and green. My "thrown" chair is green with yellow shot through it. Do you see what I mean? I've somehow taken on the golds and greens of my mother! How did that happen!?! Okay. I'm married to a man. That might have one factor towards this but really he doesn't usually care what I pick out. He trusts my judgement when it comes to things like that. Have I become my mother? Really that doesn't bother me. I like my mom; I just didn't like her Earth tone trend. I'm just going to tell myself that the color chair I picked was better than the other choice of pale olive green.