Still Here

I am still here. I have returned from my trip and I have begun to work through the many things that need to be dealt with before I can actually move on. I am still excited to have a goal of moving and it is an adventure that I am very much looking forward to. At this point though, I am not planning to move until September, as I am the Race Director for the Rotary Run for Life this year, and I have a commitment to spearhead the race. The race is actually three different races: a 5k, 10k or 21k (half-marathon) taking place on Sunday September 8th. The race is intended to raise awareness and funds for local suicide prevention and mental wellness programs. If anyone in the kwoon is a runner or needs to work on getting some km’s for your “journey” requirement, I would invite you to join the race when registration opens later.

I have a goal of moving, and I want to move by the end of September. However, before then I have three big challenges that I need to deal with.

1 – I need to massively downsize. My initial goal was to get to the point where I can fit everything I want to keep in my vehicle, and not need to have a U-Haul or a trailer to be able to move. Such downsizing is both terrifying and rather exciting. It would give me a lot of freedom in choosing where I want to go and how I want to get there. Ultimately, the amount I end up needing to downsize will depend on where I end up going and on whether I am purchasing a place or renting a furnished location though.

2 – Before I can go anywhere I need to find a way to leave my mother in a stable position. My parents got divorced a few years ago and my Mum wound up with the mortgage. I have been helping to pay the bills, and to help with the monthly costs, but her mortgage is coming up for renewal soon and the mortgage rates are a lot higher now. She was already past the limit of what she could afford and this will push her beyond what she can handle. With whatever I end up doing I want to ensure that I leave her in a place that is sustainable. At this point, I believe that means that I will need to do a number of renovations so that the basement is actually up to code as a standalone basement suite. Then she could rent out either the upstairs or the downstairs to help cover the difference.

3 – Finally, I need to actually figure out where I am going to go, and whether I will be renting or if I will need to purchase in the area. At this point I am most interested in heading to Invermere, however, there is not much available in the Columbia Valley for long-term rentals and it is possible that I will need look into purchasing my own place if I want to move there. So, I need to figure out what I can afford and where I might be able to find that. On that note, I am considering a couple of locations and I am watching for rentals or “affordable” properties. The first and primary place that I am interested in heading to is the Columbia Valley and I am considering Invermere, Kimberley or Radium. If I end up needing to purchase a place to move there, I would like to choose a place that will be possible to sell in the future or that I could rent out if I end up leaving the area for sometime. (So while Canal Flats is cheaper the location unfortunately has little demand for rentals and it looks like it would be challenging to sell a home there). Alternatively, as I am evaluating my options for where to go I am also re-considering some farther locations that I have previously dreamed of going such as Montreal, Germany or Taiwan.

To be honest, I am a bit overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done before I can leave. Renovations, organizing community events, while also committed to a number of volunteer events in the community and packing up or eliminating a lifetime of stuff is a lot to do. With work, and the I Ho Chuan requirements I don’t know if I will be able to get everything done.

Last week, before my blog post with my declaration of intent to move I tried to politely disengage from the I Ho Chuan. Sifu Rybak however reminded me that this is a commitment that I have made and that quitting is not allowed. I haven’t quit yet, and I intend to honour my commitments to the best of my ability. As such, I spent most of my day on Sunday trying to get my numbers back up to where they should be and while I am still not quite there, I am working on it and I am still within a reasonable range of my goals. That being said I admit that I need to not only catch up but that I need to spend some time building up a bit of padding as well.

My intention is still to move as soon as I can, but I want to do it in a way that honors the commitments that I have already made.

	Current	Goal	Change Since Last
Pushups	4539	4661	1330
Situps	4279	4661	1335
Hand Forms	65	93	24
Weapon Forms	98	93	68
Acts of Kindness	0	93	–
Distance Travelled	169.5	150	33.3
Sparring	105	93	45
Blog Posts	4	5	1
Tai Chi Time	470	466	152
Language Practice Time	471	466	160

I Ho Chuan Blog Post

I am currently training with Silent River Kung fu as a member of the Dragon team of the I Ho Chuan. https://www.silentriverkungfu.ca/