Kingston, Champion and Dojo Dog
As I write this blog I realize this is coming a few days later than I normally post. I aim to share not only martial art and program insights but also personal insights through this blog. Two weeks ago, I lost my dog Kingston. He passed at 12.5 years old. Additionally, my daughter, who is away for college, is going through a break up with her live-in boyfriend and this, you can imagine, has created some complications. Long story short, she now needs to move mid semester with little time to plan for alternative housing. Lastly, our Sifu, who runs the Internal Arts Program at Zhang Sah, was suddenly hospitalized for having passed out and having a seizure over the weekend. As you can imagine, all this has felt emotionally taxing and it has impeded my ability to synthesize a coherent blog for you. For that delay I apologize.
With all this upheaval, I’m reminded that while endings are rarely happy occurrences, the moments that we share along the way make this life worth it.
For instance, I adopted Kingston from an ACCT shelter in 2012. He became the family pet and after he completed three phases of dog training and earned his AKC GOOD CITIZEN dog certification I began to bring him to the dojo regularly. He came with me almost everywhere. We would hike and swim in the Wissahickon, the dog beach at Longport, camping at Assateague, and going on vacation with the family. He was like my 6th child that never grew up. He lived with me through a divorce and other break ups and moved 5 times with me. I know this dog has a good life because he became part of mine and I hold onto these memories as a reminder that ending is seldom a happy occurrence but the times between made it worthwhile. Even with a stinky, shedding mutt like Kingston. Fun note his legal name was Kingston Doofus Blueberry Waffles Sandone. The 12.5 years of memories are my reward for saving him from euthanasia and adopting him into the family. These are the gifts that I get to keep forever.
With regards to Sifu. He collapsed Saturday and was unconscious for about 30 minutes. He was rushed to the hospital where he was tended to. It took a solid four days for him to recover. At 74 years young, he was vulnerable to an accumulation of incorrect dosages of normal prescriptions. He was supported by Dylan Kirk, myself, and a few other dedicated students like Reno, Malik, and Arthur from Sifu’s Kung Fu class. It was my distinct pleasure to be able to take him for his 1st walk on day three during his recovery. We went from merely walking down the hall to performing crane stepping drills. I think the drills helped him regain his balance more so than just walking. Later that day we were doing Wu Tang Kung Fu techniques and Tai Chi Chuan in the hallway again but with hospital staff. It was a blast! Although, you should know that while he was in his more dire state on days one and two we would observe him doing the same movements while asleep. I guess that when you have practiced for as long as Sifu, some things become hardwired into your body. I know someday I will need to recall these times as gifts for my time with Sifu.
The point is, you should not focus so much on loss and rather concentrate on what is real and positive for you. Like I previously stated, endings are rarely happy. Make your time matter by enjoying it with those that are important in your life.
