Greetings,
Just a really short one...
Recently I had a crisis of the mind. I had serious considerations as to whether or not I was going to remove this blog from the internet. For all my avid readers, you will be glad to hear that I have decided to leave it where it is in order that information presented can still be used by those who find it interesting and/or useful to them. I have thoughts that I may make future posts on here, should I get inspired at the time, however these entries will be sporadic to put it politely. I thank all of my kind readers for their support of this blog and I hope that I will find something suitably inspiring to put on here again, at least sometime in the future.
Cheers,
Henry.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Onward and Upward...
Greetings,
It has been a while since I wrote anything here and the last was a little bit "doom and gloom" for my liking so I will be aiming at changing the tempo a little and lifting the things up a bit. So, there will be some updates with the way things are going, as per usual, and then I will just have to see what I end up with writing towards the end, so good luck to both of us.
News: I have specialists, most of whom do not want to see me until next year. Awesome. Renal specialist wants to keep an eye on things but is for the most part happy with the way things are going. Respiratory specialist is happy with the way things are going so does not want to see me until next year. Endocrine/Bone specialist does not want to see me for at least two years. Hepatology specialist gets seen in a couple of days time and I do not think that there will be much new news there. So the methotrexate is getting increased to combat the sarcoid in my liver... not really that much difference to tell you the truth.
As for the lower abdominal pain, it seems to be on the retreat for the most part. There was some free fluid floating around there, or so the CT Scan said, but it seems to be settling itself out. Sure, bits of pain here and there still, but hell, it is only pain and I am pretty used to that. I am thinking that at the current rate that one should be off my list in a couple of weeks. I will be taking the CT to show the Hepatology people just to keep them informed and see if they have any ideas, I am not expecting much really.
Other news: I have my first official training day for my new fencing school this weekend. As of this weekend it really is a reality. This is one of those life-long dream things happening finally for me. It is just the first step on a much longer path and I am really looking forward to it I can tell you. The big part of this will really get going early next year. I have mentioned this school previously in other posts so I will not go on with it much.... alright just a bit.
Ever since I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia I have been looking for a job or something similar which would fit the random schedule which the FM tends to deal me. I figured it had to be something that I loved, but also something which could be managed around myself and my issues. "Normal" jobs just did not seem to fit the bill as it was always someone else's timetable, rather than one modified to my needs. I love my fencing, as anyone who knows me will tell you, addicted would be putting it mildly. So I figured if I could combine the "owner-operator" and "love of fencing thing" then I would be set. Looks like things are headed well in the right direction I can tell you.
I figure that the first thing a person with FM needs is something to get them out of bed in the morning. This has to be something which you love and just cannot think of a better thing to be doing. For me it is my fencing, or researching fencing, or doing something with regard to fencing. Go out and find what that thing is for you. It does not matter how small it is, or even what it is, if it gets you out of bed and makes you feel good that is a path to a better life.
Other people try and motivate us, unfortunately because they are not us they can not understand what is going on with us. It does not matter how close the person is, or even if they have the same condition, it is a personal thing. We can do our best to explain what is going on but something will always get lost in translation. So, the best place for the motivation to come from is within you. This is really the same for everyone, chronic illness or not, self-motivation is much stronger than any motivation an external source can provide. Find something that will motivate you from within and you will be surprised what you can achieve.
In my case my love of fencing motivates me and does a lot for my pain levels. I do not feel as uncomfortable, even on my worst days, when I am doing something with regard to my chosen passion. The focus required for what I do takes away from the focus on the pain, and as a result improves how I feel. Sure there are days where all I can do is research and read about it, but those are days in which I store up knowledge for the days when I can pick up my sword and do it. There are even days when I am lethargic about going to training or a tournament, once I put my armour on and pick up my sword and get going, those lethargic thoughts seem to blend away. Sure on a rough day I do not move as smoothly as I would like, and I sure pay for it afterward, but the hours with a sword in my hand are more than enough reward for me.
Find your passion, find your motivation, and go onward and upward. You may be surprised where you find yourself in the future and what you can achieve when you apply all of yourself to it. All you have to do is start.
Cheers,
Henry.
It has been a while since I wrote anything here and the last was a little bit "doom and gloom" for my liking so I will be aiming at changing the tempo a little and lifting the things up a bit. So, there will be some updates with the way things are going, as per usual, and then I will just have to see what I end up with writing towards the end, so good luck to both of us.
News: I have specialists, most of whom do not want to see me until next year. Awesome. Renal specialist wants to keep an eye on things but is for the most part happy with the way things are going. Respiratory specialist is happy with the way things are going so does not want to see me until next year. Endocrine/Bone specialist does not want to see me for at least two years. Hepatology specialist gets seen in a couple of days time and I do not think that there will be much new news there. So the methotrexate is getting increased to combat the sarcoid in my liver... not really that much difference to tell you the truth.
As for the lower abdominal pain, it seems to be on the retreat for the most part. There was some free fluid floating around there, or so the CT Scan said, but it seems to be settling itself out. Sure, bits of pain here and there still, but hell, it is only pain and I am pretty used to that. I am thinking that at the current rate that one should be off my list in a couple of weeks. I will be taking the CT to show the Hepatology people just to keep them informed and see if they have any ideas, I am not expecting much really.
Other news: I have my first official training day for my new fencing school this weekend. As of this weekend it really is a reality. This is one of those life-long dream things happening finally for me. It is just the first step on a much longer path and I am really looking forward to it I can tell you. The big part of this will really get going early next year. I have mentioned this school previously in other posts so I will not go on with it much.... alright just a bit.
Ever since I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia I have been looking for a job or something similar which would fit the random schedule which the FM tends to deal me. I figured it had to be something that I loved, but also something which could be managed around myself and my issues. "Normal" jobs just did not seem to fit the bill as it was always someone else's timetable, rather than one modified to my needs. I love my fencing, as anyone who knows me will tell you, addicted would be putting it mildly. So I figured if I could combine the "owner-operator" and "love of fencing thing" then I would be set. Looks like things are headed well in the right direction I can tell you.
I figure that the first thing a person with FM needs is something to get them out of bed in the morning. This has to be something which you love and just cannot think of a better thing to be doing. For me it is my fencing, or researching fencing, or doing something with regard to fencing. Go out and find what that thing is for you. It does not matter how small it is, or even what it is, if it gets you out of bed and makes you feel good that is a path to a better life.
Other people try and motivate us, unfortunately because they are not us they can not understand what is going on with us. It does not matter how close the person is, or even if they have the same condition, it is a personal thing. We can do our best to explain what is going on but something will always get lost in translation. So, the best place for the motivation to come from is within you. This is really the same for everyone, chronic illness or not, self-motivation is much stronger than any motivation an external source can provide. Find something that will motivate you from within and you will be surprised what you can achieve.
In my case my love of fencing motivates me and does a lot for my pain levels. I do not feel as uncomfortable, even on my worst days, when I am doing something with regard to my chosen passion. The focus required for what I do takes away from the focus on the pain, and as a result improves how I feel. Sure there are days where all I can do is research and read about it, but those are days in which I store up knowledge for the days when I can pick up my sword and do it. There are even days when I am lethargic about going to training or a tournament, once I put my armour on and pick up my sword and get going, those lethargic thoughts seem to blend away. Sure on a rough day I do not move as smoothly as I would like, and I sure pay for it afterward, but the hours with a sword in my hand are more than enough reward for me.
Find your passion, find your motivation, and go onward and upward. You may be surprised where you find yourself in the future and what you can achieve when you apply all of yourself to it. All you have to do is start.
Cheers,
Henry.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
New Amazing Diet... Lose 4kg in 1 week...
Greetings,
No, I am not going to try and sell you anything, but I bet it got your attention. One thing is true, however, I have lost 4kg in a week, and I can tell you it was not voluntary. I have been having some issues with my lower abdomen, went to the doctor found out that I had a "torted epiploic appendage". Yup, a little bit of my large intestine got twisted. In order to relive this you get put on a liquid diet, it gives the bowels a rest and allows the body to figure itself out. Once I could put up with but this twice around business is ridiculous. More lower abdominal pain, another liquid diet for a week. Oh, and it seems MS Contin does not agree with me anymore, another pain-killer off my list, side-effect of that was worse than the pain itself.
In other news one week ago today I had a liver biopsy. Essentially get a large needle push it through the chest wall, hit the liver get a sample and your done, except for the having to lay on your back for six hours. Oh, yeah, and the screaming agony once the sedative and pain-killers wear off. Needless to say this one woke the FM up for a big visit and has been telling me about it ever since. I am hoping to be back to my usual self in a week.
Oops, I forgot, my latest dose of lower abdominal pain piggy-backed itself on the liver biopsy, just for some added pain, and I got the results for the biopsy... sarcoid in the liver it would seem. Not happy. Hopefully more news to hand later.
On the more "good news" side of things the aberrations in my kidney functions seem to have settled. I officially have kidneys that work at 75% capacity. Not seeing the specialist there for a year, unless things go "funny" again with them. The bone doctor says that the osteoporosis is on the retreat and he does not want to see me for two years, which is excellent.
Well, things sure have not been boring around here the past month or so. I am hoping to keep more up to date, though I do not like my chances. I will when I can. Anyway, I am hoping that you have had a less exciting time than I have, at least in the same manner.
Cheers,
Henry.
No, I am not going to try and sell you anything, but I bet it got your attention. One thing is true, however, I have lost 4kg in a week, and I can tell you it was not voluntary. I have been having some issues with my lower abdomen, went to the doctor found out that I had a "torted epiploic appendage". Yup, a little bit of my large intestine got twisted. In order to relive this you get put on a liquid diet, it gives the bowels a rest and allows the body to figure itself out. Once I could put up with but this twice around business is ridiculous. More lower abdominal pain, another liquid diet for a week. Oh, and it seems MS Contin does not agree with me anymore, another pain-killer off my list, side-effect of that was worse than the pain itself.
In other news one week ago today I had a liver biopsy. Essentially get a large needle push it through the chest wall, hit the liver get a sample and your done, except for the having to lay on your back for six hours. Oh, yeah, and the screaming agony once the sedative and pain-killers wear off. Needless to say this one woke the FM up for a big visit and has been telling me about it ever since. I am hoping to be back to my usual self in a week.
Oops, I forgot, my latest dose of lower abdominal pain piggy-backed itself on the liver biopsy, just for some added pain, and I got the results for the biopsy... sarcoid in the liver it would seem. Not happy. Hopefully more news to hand later.
On the more "good news" side of things the aberrations in my kidney functions seem to have settled. I officially have kidneys that work at 75% capacity. Not seeing the specialist there for a year, unless things go "funny" again with them. The bone doctor says that the osteoporosis is on the retreat and he does not want to see me for two years, which is excellent.
Well, things sure have not been boring around here the past month or so. I am hoping to keep more up to date, though I do not like my chances. I will when I can. Anyway, I am hoping that you have had a less exciting time than I have, at least in the same manner.
Cheers,
Henry.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
An Open Letter to Politicians
Greetings,
The message which follows is not the usual thing that I put up on my blog here. This is one which has something to do with fibromyalgia in a slanted sort of way, but more directly this is a small political statement which I think I need to get out of my system. I will return you all to your usual reading shortly. What follows is an open letter to all politicians be they local, state or national parliamentarians.
"A man of the people, for the people."
Dear Politicians,
When you give your great election speeches you claim that you are talking about serving the members of your various electorates. You claim that you are serving our country in our best interests. You claim that you are looking out for the people that you represent. I would challenge you all with regard to this one and now truly stand up for the people of your electorates.
The only person who votes whether or not you get a pay rise is you and your fellow politicians. I as a member of an electorate, and the people in general do not get a say as to whether you allow this to happen. The only way that we can make an impact upon these decisions is to approach you en mass in some form or another to make our grievances known. The only time that your positions are threatened by anything that you may or may not have done is once every four years.
I challenge you that next time the question of a pay rise comes up in your parliamentary discussions that you stand against this. Ask yourself whether you really need this pay rise, or whether there could be a place where this money could go which would truly benefit the members of your electorates. There are people out there who are in dire straits due to their financial situations and a boost at this troubled time for them would be a great boost to them. This is your chance for you to truly be "a man of the people, for the people" as your position would indicate that you are.
Yours sincerely,
Henry Walker.
The message which follows is not the usual thing that I put up on my blog here. This is one which has something to do with fibromyalgia in a slanted sort of way, but more directly this is a small political statement which I think I need to get out of my system. I will return you all to your usual reading shortly. What follows is an open letter to all politicians be they local, state or national parliamentarians.
"A man of the people, for the people."
Dear Politicians,
When you give your great election speeches you claim that you are talking about serving the members of your various electorates. You claim that you are serving our country in our best interests. You claim that you are looking out for the people that you represent. I would challenge you all with regard to this one and now truly stand up for the people of your electorates.
The only person who votes whether or not you get a pay rise is you and your fellow politicians. I as a member of an electorate, and the people in general do not get a say as to whether you allow this to happen. The only way that we can make an impact upon these decisions is to approach you en mass in some form or another to make our grievances known. The only time that your positions are threatened by anything that you may or may not have done is once every four years.
I challenge you that next time the question of a pay rise comes up in your parliamentary discussions that you stand against this. Ask yourself whether you really need this pay rise, or whether there could be a place where this money could go which would truly benefit the members of your electorates. There are people out there who are in dire straits due to their financial situations and a boost at this troubled time for them would be a great boost to them. This is your chance for you to truly be "a man of the people, for the people" as your position would indicate that you are.
Yours sincerely,
Henry Walker.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Not Much to Write... Kinda
Greetings,
I have been looking at this blog a little and realised that it has been a while since I wrote anything, simply because, as indicated by the title I have had not much to write. I could go on with various medical bits and pieces which have been going on, but for the most part they really do not have anything to do with my FM, so not really "on topic" so to speak with regard to it all. However, I will summarise.
Hepatology Clinic - Went along due to some odd readings and findings of blood tests for liver function which were required for taking methotrexate for pulmonary sarcoidosis, which I have discussed previously. Ultrasound done, no answers there. So later this month there will be a liver biopsy. Joy... not.
Respiratory Clinic - Things going quite well here, sarcoidosis is clearing up nicely. I am hoping to have this one done and dusted in the next six months or so. Might be another year, but I am hoping not. I am guessing that my lungs are about 90% fixed again. This I am quite happy with.
Renal Clinic - Kidneys doing much the same as the liver, odd readings and so forth. More blood tests to come nothing major here to worry about. The messing with the medication is the thing that is annoying me with this one, off my anti-inflammatories so my knees are giving me hell of late. Of course the specialist's recommendation for this was a referral to an orthopedic surgeon, kinda scary in some ways. I would prefer back on the meds. Have to see what happens here.
Bone Clinic - Previously diagnosed with osteoporosis of a moderate level. This is also on its way out. Have had a Body Mass Density scan, this is more of an update to make sure everything is proceeding as it should be.
So I am calling this two and a half out of four issues being solved to some degree. The irritating thought of a fifth specialist kinda bothers me though. I figure I should keep some sort of record of what is going on here. Helps me keep track of what I am doing. Of course four specialists means lots of appointments here and there and lots of running around. You combine this with my various projects and it makes a person who could be sitting on the couch doing nothing, quite a busy person. Of course the sitting on the couch thing is just not me, so it is much less of a surprise.
Needless to say I spend most of the time ignoring all of this business because it could be easy for a person to get down about it all, and sure, sometimes I do. However I have found that doing stuff which you enjoy also helps a lot. Keep your mind on the good stuff and push the other to one side until it needs dealing with. No time for me to be miserable, I have things to do.
Cheers,
Henry.
I have been looking at this blog a little and realised that it has been a while since I wrote anything, simply because, as indicated by the title I have had not much to write. I could go on with various medical bits and pieces which have been going on, but for the most part they really do not have anything to do with my FM, so not really "on topic" so to speak with regard to it all. However, I will summarise.
Hepatology Clinic - Went along due to some odd readings and findings of blood tests for liver function which were required for taking methotrexate for pulmonary sarcoidosis, which I have discussed previously. Ultrasound done, no answers there. So later this month there will be a liver biopsy. Joy... not.
Respiratory Clinic - Things going quite well here, sarcoidosis is clearing up nicely. I am hoping to have this one done and dusted in the next six months or so. Might be another year, but I am hoping not. I am guessing that my lungs are about 90% fixed again. This I am quite happy with.
Renal Clinic - Kidneys doing much the same as the liver, odd readings and so forth. More blood tests to come nothing major here to worry about. The messing with the medication is the thing that is annoying me with this one, off my anti-inflammatories so my knees are giving me hell of late. Of course the specialist's recommendation for this was a referral to an orthopedic surgeon, kinda scary in some ways. I would prefer back on the meds. Have to see what happens here.
Bone Clinic - Previously diagnosed with osteoporosis of a moderate level. This is also on its way out. Have had a Body Mass Density scan, this is more of an update to make sure everything is proceeding as it should be.
So I am calling this two and a half out of four issues being solved to some degree. The irritating thought of a fifth specialist kinda bothers me though. I figure I should keep some sort of record of what is going on here. Helps me keep track of what I am doing. Of course four specialists means lots of appointments here and there and lots of running around. You combine this with my various projects and it makes a person who could be sitting on the couch doing nothing, quite a busy person. Of course the sitting on the couch thing is just not me, so it is much less of a surprise.
Needless to say I spend most of the time ignoring all of this business because it could be easy for a person to get down about it all, and sure, sometimes I do. However I have found that doing stuff which you enjoy also helps a lot. Keep your mind on the good stuff and push the other to one side until it needs dealing with. No time for me to be miserable, I have things to do.
Cheers,
Henry.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
SHDA or Dreams Continued....
Greetings,
In my last post I mentioned something of a fencing school that I was creating. This has been a long process and one that I have talked and talked about rather than actually doing anything about. Well, the doing is now happening in a big way. I figured I should give a little more detail.
First of all, keeping with the FM focus of the blog, the idea of the school was to create myself a job which was suited to my condition. The advantage of this is that the only boss I have to worry about is myself, and my wife if things go really silly. Fencing in various forms has kept me moving for many years and now forms a major part of my motivation. This project allows me to do something which I love, something which is good for me, and just maybe turn it into something I *might* make some money off (I am starting this off as a non-profit organisation so money is a future thing). I figure that the best thing for a person to do is to find something that they love and see if they can make something of that.
The School of Historical Defence Arts (SHDA) is a martial arts school focusing on the application of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) for the purposes of practical application in the gaining of efficiency in combat. This is not merely following the instructions found in the manuals as the plays depict but applying this to more practical situations against some sort of antagonist.
The school, as part of the process of learning and understanding the manuals, undertakes in-depth investigations of period manuals taking into account not only their martial applications but also those aspects of courtesy which are appropriate to the period and situation. This investigation focused on the practical application of the information found in the manuals to combative situations, but taking into account those other aspects significant to the study and also to the martial art. While the manuals will primarily be the focus of the teachers, students will be encouraged to have some interest in the manuals and involve themselves in similar study.
Well, that was a cheat. The above two paragraphs are taken straight from our information sheet. However it does describe pretty well the intention of the school and what I want to do with it. You will notice that this is focused at historical fencing rather than sport fencing. Big difference here I am telling you. The biggest difference being that one is sport and the other is martial art. The Facebook page is here: http://www.facebook.com/SchoolofHistoricalDefenseArts. The school is based in Brisbane, Australia, however I am fully willing to feed any interest in it. I can be contacted by e-mail about the school at shdacontact@gmail.com.
Cheers,
Henry.
In my last post I mentioned something of a fencing school that I was creating. This has been a long process and one that I have talked and talked about rather than actually doing anything about. Well, the doing is now happening in a big way. I figured I should give a little more detail.
First of all, keeping with the FM focus of the blog, the idea of the school was to create myself a job which was suited to my condition. The advantage of this is that the only boss I have to worry about is myself, and my wife if things go really silly. Fencing in various forms has kept me moving for many years and now forms a major part of my motivation. This project allows me to do something which I love, something which is good for me, and just maybe turn it into something I *might* make some money off (I am starting this off as a non-profit organisation so money is a future thing). I figure that the best thing for a person to do is to find something that they love and see if they can make something of that.
The School of Historical Defence Arts (SHDA) is a martial arts school focusing on the application of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) for the purposes of practical application in the gaining of efficiency in combat. This is not merely following the instructions found in the manuals as the plays depict but applying this to more practical situations against some sort of antagonist.
The school, as part of the process of learning and understanding the manuals, undertakes in-depth investigations of period manuals taking into account not only their martial applications but also those aspects of courtesy which are appropriate to the period and situation. This investigation focused on the practical application of the information found in the manuals to combative situations, but taking into account those other aspects significant to the study and also to the martial art. While the manuals will primarily be the focus of the teachers, students will be encouraged to have some interest in the manuals and involve themselves in similar study.
Well, that was a cheat. The above two paragraphs are taken straight from our information sheet. However it does describe pretty well the intention of the school and what I want to do with it. You will notice that this is focused at historical fencing rather than sport fencing. Big difference here I am telling you. The biggest difference being that one is sport and the other is martial art. The Facebook page is here: http://www.facebook.com/SchoolofHistoricalDefenseArts. The school is based in Brisbane, Australia, however I am fully willing to feed any interest in it. I can be contacted by e-mail about the school at shdacontact@gmail.com.
Cheers,
Henry.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Some Dreams Do Come True, But...
Greetings,
There are things that we all want out of life. There are things that we dream about and wish that we could have. There are some things which we cannot have and there are some which we can have. The question with regard to all of them is what are you willing to pay to get there? This entry describes something which has happened recently, which I will get to, and I will tell how I got there. However, it also will be used to see what you can do with some effort.
For many years, ever since I managed to get some experience and some students of my own, I have dreamed about running my own fencing school. This is a dream which I knew was one which was always on the outer limits of what would be possible due to many different factors. But it is one which I have thought about and talked about much. Indeed my immediate family has heard me talk about this dream a lot, and so have some of my students. I knew that this was on the outer limits due to many different factors and this is one of the reasons why it took me so long to do anything real about it.
Sure I had plans for schools many years ago, much of the documentation has been rolled into other endeavours of a similar nature, but much less long-lasting. The reason for this is because these smaller endeavours were easy and never really required much more of me than what I was doing already. So within the SCA, I have had some schools which have grown and developed. Some of these collapsed because they were too big to survive as they were, but achieved their goals. Some collapsed due to internal frictions and misunderstandings of what was required. However, as I have said these were small projects in essence. They did, however lay the foundations for what would happen later on.
If you have a dream that you want to come true, regardless of what it is, you need to put some effort into it in one way or another. Even the dream of winning millions the lotto requires you to buy at least one ticket to be in the draw. You have to be in it to win it, as has been said many times. Of course it also means that there is the chance that it will not work out, so there is the chance of failure. It is this which keeps many away, and I think what prevented me from going outside and doing what the school needed to be "real". Treat your failures as learning experiences and you will find that you can continue. This is what the failure of previous schools has taught me, and it is information that I will use.
Effort on its own will get you places, but it may not be where you want to go. You need a goal, a direction, and a plan. The goal is the end-point, the direction gives focus to your effort, and your plan guides this direction, each one is important. For some, they need to put these down on paper, for others they only need them in their heads. What I can tell you is that while the essential goal will remain the same plans will change. Plans usually change on the information given by failures or intelligences to lead you away from failures.
In my case the goal was the school, which I had for ages. The direction, well I had some to choose from, and the plan, well that was rather flexible due to the options available. In my case, what I needed was a couple of like-minded friends to really get the ball rolling and push me along a bit. They both know who they are, and they have my greatest thanks.
The school was designed to explore elements of western martial arts which were not available to practice under the current regime of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). Now, some explanation. I will remain a member of the SCA as I have friends in that organisation and I still have things to give the organisation, however this school allows me to practice other things and investigate more. Also there are some out there who like the idea of some of the practices within the SCA, specifically the Guild of Defence, who are not interested in adopting personas or putting on period attire. Thus this is for them also as some of the structure and many of the teaching practices are the same as the Guild. This is the goal, in essence.
The direction was chosen much for me due to very external factors, primarily finances. The school will at least start as a non-profit organisation due to the current financial climate and available financial resources, however should the situation present itself, the school can and will move to a business platform, but this is for the future. So direction in this part was chosen, it was for similar reasons that the plan was modified.
The result, well let me just say that I have the final planning elements and collection of students and moneys to be made, but my dream has come true. Due to the approval given for insurance through the Australasian Living History Federation, I will be running my own school for western martial arts. So I can honestly say, that dreams do come true. Where I go from here, well it is one of those things that only the future can tell.
Cheers,
Henry.
There are things that we all want out of life. There are things that we dream about and wish that we could have. There are some things which we cannot have and there are some which we can have. The question with regard to all of them is what are you willing to pay to get there? This entry describes something which has happened recently, which I will get to, and I will tell how I got there. However, it also will be used to see what you can do with some effort.
For many years, ever since I managed to get some experience and some students of my own, I have dreamed about running my own fencing school. This is a dream which I knew was one which was always on the outer limits of what would be possible due to many different factors. But it is one which I have thought about and talked about much. Indeed my immediate family has heard me talk about this dream a lot, and so have some of my students. I knew that this was on the outer limits due to many different factors and this is one of the reasons why it took me so long to do anything real about it.
Sure I had plans for schools many years ago, much of the documentation has been rolled into other endeavours of a similar nature, but much less long-lasting. The reason for this is because these smaller endeavours were easy and never really required much more of me than what I was doing already. So within the SCA, I have had some schools which have grown and developed. Some of these collapsed because they were too big to survive as they were, but achieved their goals. Some collapsed due to internal frictions and misunderstandings of what was required. However, as I have said these were small projects in essence. They did, however lay the foundations for what would happen later on.
If you have a dream that you want to come true, regardless of what it is, you need to put some effort into it in one way or another. Even the dream of winning millions the lotto requires you to buy at least one ticket to be in the draw. You have to be in it to win it, as has been said many times. Of course it also means that there is the chance that it will not work out, so there is the chance of failure. It is this which keeps many away, and I think what prevented me from going outside and doing what the school needed to be "real". Treat your failures as learning experiences and you will find that you can continue. This is what the failure of previous schools has taught me, and it is information that I will use.
Effort on its own will get you places, but it may not be where you want to go. You need a goal, a direction, and a plan. The goal is the end-point, the direction gives focus to your effort, and your plan guides this direction, each one is important. For some, they need to put these down on paper, for others they only need them in their heads. What I can tell you is that while the essential goal will remain the same plans will change. Plans usually change on the information given by failures or intelligences to lead you away from failures.
In my case the goal was the school, which I had for ages. The direction, well I had some to choose from, and the plan, well that was rather flexible due to the options available. In my case, what I needed was a couple of like-minded friends to really get the ball rolling and push me along a bit. They both know who they are, and they have my greatest thanks.
The school was designed to explore elements of western martial arts which were not available to practice under the current regime of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). Now, some explanation. I will remain a member of the SCA as I have friends in that organisation and I still have things to give the organisation, however this school allows me to practice other things and investigate more. Also there are some out there who like the idea of some of the practices within the SCA, specifically the Guild of Defence, who are not interested in adopting personas or putting on period attire. Thus this is for them also as some of the structure and many of the teaching practices are the same as the Guild. This is the goal, in essence.
The direction was chosen much for me due to very external factors, primarily finances. The school will at least start as a non-profit organisation due to the current financial climate and available financial resources, however should the situation present itself, the school can and will move to a business platform, but this is for the future. So direction in this part was chosen, it was for similar reasons that the plan was modified.
The result, well let me just say that I have the final planning elements and collection of students and moneys to be made, but my dream has come true. Due to the approval given for insurance through the Australasian Living History Federation, I will be running my own school for western martial arts. So I can honestly say, that dreams do come true. Where I go from here, well it is one of those things that only the future can tell.
Cheers,
Henry.
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