Talking to the Birds

My instructor has mentioned a few times getting the audio series "Advanced Bird Language" and I haven't picked it up yet because it is kind of expensive, but my kids and I have been spending time watching and listening to the birds around the house, particularly the crows. He says that crows watch everything we do and once they see a person they remember them for the rest of their lives.

Apparently "Advanced Bird Language" explains once you understand bird behavior you can move more easily through the woods without being detected.

I never really paid much attention to birds before, I don't know their names or how to recognize their calls. But now I watch and listen carefully and am looking forward to learning more. This morning I caught my 4 year old daughter on the front porch holding a full blown conversation with a bird. The bird would call and she did her best to imitate the sound. The bird called right back. I thought it was cute and also perceptive on her part. I love the idea of being able to connect with nature right in your own backyard.

Mama Ninja

My entire life I had been regarded as clumsy. My mother used to jokingly call me "grace." As a kid I spent a lot of time tripping and falling. So I never considered myself as someone who could one day master the jump spinning hook kick.

A few years ago, I joined a gym to get in shape. I had gained a lot of weight from having children and working a sedentary job for four years. There I discovered an amazing class called Nia, a blend of martial arts, dance, and yoga. First off it was fun and the instructor was very patient with my two left feet. So I began attending the class once or twice a week. I gradually found my balance, using my breath and energy to allow my body to move gracefully and powerfully. I knew I wanted my son, who also had a reputation of being clumsy, to take a martial arts class.

Martial Arts classes tend to be expensive so I procrastinated for a while until we found a school near our house that had very affordable prices. It happened to be Tang Soo Do, which I had never heard of before despite its apparent popularity. When I learned that the instructor was also passionate about wilderness survival I knew this was the class for our entire family. But first my son started January 2008. Then in spring my husband started.

It was an exciting day when they had their first belt test, my son got his advanced white belt and my husband, who had worked so hard and practiced every day skipped a rank and was honored with an orange belt.

I observed the class frequently and learned a few tidbits from my husband and son, but I finally joined the class September 11, 2008. The instructor is patient enough to allow my 4 year old daughter to run around while the rest of us are in class. I hope she will join in soon but right now she just doesn't have the attention span for 1.5 hours of class.

Why martial arts? These are my goals:

1. Strengthen and tone my body, increase balance and coordination


2. Hone my mental awareness and concentration


3. Strive for spiritual stillness and enhance my connection to the divine


4. Learn from nature and to live in harmony with it