In our lives we’ll encounter a variety of oaths. I’ve spoken one for over 30 years which reads as follows: “Sir (Ma’am), I will practice in the spirit of Taekwondo; with Courtesy for fellow students; Loyalty for my instructor (s); and Respect for my juniors and seniors, Sir (Ma’am)!” That statement is what we call the Songahm Spirit of Taekwondo, a special oath recited by students in our ATA martial arts program. Actually, it’s just the first half, recited in unison before class begins.
The second half is said at the end of class and goes like this: “Sir (Ma’am), I shall live with Perseverance in the spirit of Taekwondo; having Honor with others; Integrity within myself; and Self Control in my actions, Sir (Ma’am)!”
ATA stands for the American Taekwondo Association, which is the largest centrally administered martial arts organization in the world. There are hundreds of thousands of ATA students around the world, in something over 2,000 different schools or training academies. At the start and end of every class, students recite the oath.
Maintaining Your Weight Over The Holidays (Part 1)
Posted: December 02, 2015
Week Four is now in the books for Biggest Loser “26” and things went a little better than last week. What’s interesting is that it kind of flipped. Most of those that did well last week, didn’t do so well this week, and vice-versa. Once again, we’re trying to come up with reasons why.
While we can’t be certain, there are a couple of indicators. The Thanksgiving holiday undoubtedly took its toll. Some experts say the average adult gains five pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years.
Most people eat more over the holidays, but exercise less. That’s a double whammy, with weight gain just waiting to happen. If nothing else, the goal should be to not gain any weight, even if you don’t lose any.
“100 Women” Step Up To Help Get Paris A Drug Dog!
Posted: November 25, 2015
I recently published a series of eight articles about the local drug problem. From profiles of addiction to interviews with counselors at the Human Resource Center (HRC), I tried to help show the human side of the problem. I also spent time with local police and the State’s Attorney to present a picture of what local law enforcement was doing.
Over the eight weeks, a disturbing picture emerged. I knew this was a problem, but was surprised at how big a problem it was. The first thing was the immediate need for a drug dog to help with the enforcement effort of our local police department.
I’ve had quite a few calls and messages from people asking what they could do, and I’m heartened by every one of them. But another woman in particular not only wanted to help, but also had an idea about how to multiply her efforts.
Waiting is sometimes necessary.
Posted: November 20, 2015
Waiting. I hate waiting. We wait in lines at the store. We wait in the drive-through. We wait for cars in front of us to get moving as the light turns green. We wait for new pages to load on the Internet. Waiting.
O.K., that’s not really waiting very much, isn’t it? I mean, at the store, we might have a couple people ahead of us, but does it really take all that long? And the drive-through is certainly faster than sitting down and placing an order at a restaurant, right?
Even though they might not react quite as quickly as we would like, those few cars in front of us will get themselves going in just a few seconds. And unless we’re still on dial-up, those webpages will load sooner rather than later.
Fun and Smiles on the Polar Express
Posted: November 12, 2015
A passenger train full of large eyed kids in pajamas. And a conductor all decked out with blue suit, hat, and ticket punch, looking at his pocket watch as he shouts: “All aboard!”
If you’ve had kids anytime in the last ten years, you’ll recognize the scenes from the 2004 hit movie “Polar Express.” I don’t know how many times I’ve watched the movie with my 5 year old, and heard “Can we ride the Polar Express?” So we decided to see if we could make that happen.
Last weekend, I had a chance to take him to French Lick, IN to ride a real train, decked out like the train in the movie. They had the conductor, porters and hot chocolate scene, a bunch of dancing elves, and even a visit from Santa himself! It was pretty amazing.