I was born and raised in San Diego and even though Disneyland was less than two hours from my home I thought I could never go to any place like that. That wasn’t for people like me. With that mentality, how do you think I felt when my grandparents brought me to the Magic Kingdom for the first time? It truly was magic for me meeting all the Disney characters I saw in the cartoons, riding my first roller coaster, and I even pulling the sword out of the stone and becoming “Queen for the Day”. To me it was a once in a lifetime event and anything like that would never happen again.
Through the years, the dreams of visiting other places and doing this, that, and the other grew quite extensive. Just like before I thought the average person didn’t get to do stuff like that. No way. I mean, my classmates took vacations with family and talked about their adventures. Others got backstage passes to the upcoming show of their favorite band. But those were different. My classmates were in the right place at the right time, or their parents got a raise or something like that. Me? Well, I was lucky to have a decent music tape and CD collection.
I wasn’t into reading until I was an adult and understood the philosophy of knowledge is power. I now know that I could read all kinds of books or watch videos to expand my education. But really experiencing life does that education truly become an understanding. Thus, wisdom is acquired.
I have a love for Chinese and Japanese culture. But how can I truly appreciate those cultures if I don’t visit the countries? How can I comprehend honoring tradition without sitting with a geisha, the epitome of elegance in Japan, while she conducts the tea ceremony? I want to go to Kyoto and value the history by viewing the traditional architecture. I want to go shopping in Akihabara which is THE city for Japanese pop culture merchandise and fashion.
I’ve practiced Choy Li Fut Kung Fu and Yang style Tai Chi Chuan since I was 18. While I learned a lot about Chinese culture and tradition through the kung fu school I would love to have the honor of visiting China and seeing the home of Chan Heung, the founder of Choy Li Fut. I would love to visit a Shaolin Temple, meet the monks, and learn how Buddhism and martial arts compliment each other. Still, that would never happen. That’s for “normal” people. But, somehow, someway some many “normal” people I knew were able to do it and I don’t know how. Some people may think I’m jealous. That’s not the case because I don’t hold any ill will to them. I envy them. Greatly. I appreciate the little I have and have done in my life. But if I died tomorrow my ghost would still linger because I would still grieve over missed opportunities. And not just for me. For my family as well.
Cultivating Elegance 