Did seventeen push-ups in a row without stopping or losing my balance.  Improvement from yesterday. Then, I could only do three or four at a time without stopping.  I was all kinds of out of sorts yesterday. Today I seem to be on the mend.

Of course, I didn’t sleep much, either. I have school today, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m nervous and didn’t fall asleep until after midnight, and woke up way too early.  This is unnerving.  In a couple of days, I’ll be fine. I’m sure of it.  Right now I’m panicked that I forgot to do some singularly important task, like write all the kids’ names correctly on the sign-in sheets and so on.

No really, it’ll be fine.  It’ll work out.

A quick review of where we are in the form at the moment:

• Opening, circled hands, ward off left, ward off right,
• roll back, press, push, single whip, stand like tree, shoulder strike, white heron spreads wings,brush knee/twist step, playing pipah, brush knee/twist step, grab needle at the sea floor,spread hands like fan, throat strike, retreat to the mountain camp, false close, (I had to make a number of changes in the order of movements here… why did I get it so wrong?)
• roll back, press, push, single whip, golden pheasant left, golden pheasant right, kick right, kick left, half-spin, kick with heel, bounce the baby, box ears with fists
• roll back, press, push, single whip, Buddha’s twist (not its name but what I called it after I couldn’t remember its name), step back to drive the monkey away, cloud hands, spiral inward, diagonal single whip, elbow defense, fair lady works the shuttles 1, fair lady works the shuttles 2, fair lady works the shuttles 3, fair lady works the shuttles 4, ward off left, ward off right,
• roll back, press, push, single whip, step to the seven stars, bend the bow, double fist, ride the tiger, full spin, windmill kick, left-hand push, closing.

The movement which follows Box Ears with Fists is Roll Back.

From this braced posture, the right hand retreats, (swings high)
but right elbow remains just in its place
The left hand rises too, moves also, and it entreats (cuts by)
the opponent as it travels side-swipes through space
until fingertips graze the bent right arm.
Thus a right angle is ordered — and stands
between the forearms on the right and left:
This is a posture of defensive hands,
for the arms can shift with movement so deft
to deflect the strike.  Once the hands are firm,
weight can shift away from the front right foot;
the left leg can carry the weight a term —
but neither leg should move from where it’s put
Sweep both hands down and sideways to the left,
to guard the flank that in this move’s bereft.

I guess it still works.  I like the changes, though, and I think I’ll keep some of the poem. For now, I have to get ready for school

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