In article <eee076tv2ckkbsht9ntoana4c6lnpnl0f9@4ax.com>, Z NP-f6
<z@ak.com> wrote:
> Hi Grant, I'm just back from holiday and have ELEVEN episodes to catch
> up on.
>
> Thanks a lot!
>
> Z
You're welcome a lot.
You should read them in order. That's not an order, but a suggestion
for the order. In order to get their full benefit.
Something like that. LOL
> On 20 Aug 2010 17:30:01 -0500, " +Grant. " <+Grant@grant.grant> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >The Adventures of Stevie #31
> >
> >These stories were told to me by friends and other people. Some of them
> >are true. Some of them are only partly true. Some of them should have
> >been true. LOL
> >
> >My first post about Stevie ("Call me Stephen!") was when he was 12 and
> >in summer camp and was told by another camper. This was from a time
> >before computers would fit on a desk and when people communicated with
> >friends in other countries by actual letters sent through the postal
> >service. When children did this those friends were called "penpals".
> >Carlos is Stevie's penpal in Argentina and knows English. This is a
> >fictional contrivance to enable Stevie to tell us his stories because
> >he isn't here in person. I think.
> >All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
> >that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
> >Stevie's school is for gifted children who don't fit in regular schools.
> >The stories may not be posted in chronological order.
> >Stevie is 11 in this story. It takes place 3 weeks after story #30.
> >
> >
> >The Adventures of Stevie #31 "Your Own Advice"
> >
> >
> >Dear Carlos,
> >
> >
> > I have to tell you about "ki" so you will understand something later.
> >It's something like inner power. Some people say it's a special energy
> >and some people say it's just applied physics and physiology of body
> >movement. I don't know, but people who are extra special experts in
> >fighting can use it to do some things most people say are impossible.
> >Now I can tell you what happened.
> >
> > Chad went with me to dance class. When it was over he asked why we
> >had to learn how to dance. I started laughing so hard he thought I was
> >going to choke. Cosmo asked me what the problem was. I calmed down
> >enough to talk and said "Remember the big question I asked you last
> >year?" He said "Yes, what about it?" I hugged Chad and said "Chad just
> >asked me the same question." He said "Marvelous!" My mouth dropped open
> >like I was waiting for some bug to fly in. Cosmo gave me a big fat grin
> >and said "Now you can tell the whole class the answer." Me and my big
> >mouth!
> >
> > I told them. Then I said to Cosmo "You were right. We danced at camp
> >and I met a wonderful girl I wouldn't have if I couldn't dance. I had a
> >great time and I owe it to you." I said to Chad "Now you know?" Chad
> >mean look and made claw hands at him, and he ran around behind me and
> >said "Yes I do, yes I do!" What a tease.
> >
> > Chad knows about my special claw hands because he saw me practicing
> >in fighting class. I had to tell him when he tried to copy me, he
> >shouldn't try to do what his body isn't ready for yet. He has to learn
> >the basics first, and only do what I teach him, or he could really hurt
> >himself real bad. He wasn't happy about it. Teaching is a lot tougher
> >than I thought it would be, and that's saying a lot, because I thought
> >it would be tough before I started.
> >
> > One day I got the idea to try something new. I wanted to see if I
> >could make my jump away problem do something more useful in fighting
> >than help me go up a wall. Maybe I could punch better with it. I was
> >alone in the gym. I like it that way when I experiment. I put a
> >breaking board in the vertical frame. The board is 1 inch thick and 12
> >inches square. Big schools have students hold the boards in a special
> >way for people to punch or kick at them to break them to test how good
> >they are in fighting. Why? Boards don't scream and have to go to the
> >hospital. We don't have enough people for holding them, so we have a
> >metal stand with a frame which can hold them. I stood in front of it
> >just relaxed, and stuck my arm out and rested my fist up against the
> >board. Then I imagined my monster being grabbed hard, but this time
> >made the feeling start at my feet and travel up my body and out through
> >my arm to my fist into the board so fast it was like no time, and the
> >board exploded away like it was shot by a cannon ball. That was very
> >strange because my fist had not moved at all I could tell. It was still
> >where I left it, where the board used to be.
> >
> > Sensei yelled "STOP!" at me, and ran over to me and grabbed me and
> >shoved me down to the mat. That surprised me for more than one reason.
> >I was concentrating so hard I didn't hear him come into the gym, and he
> >never did what he just did to me, before. He said very tensely, "Don't
> >move a muscle." He ran his hands all over me like he expected me to be
> >hurt. I didn't dare tell him how much it tickled. He asked me if I hurt
> >anywhere. I said "No, I'm fine." He baked off and told me to sit, then
> >he sat in front of me. He asked me what I was doing. I told him I was
> >trying something new to see if I could use some of the extra energy I
> >have to fight with. He said I was using ki. I was surprised. I knew
> >about it, but never expected I could use it myself.
> >
> > "What you did was very dangerous." I said I didn't understand. He
> >said "Energy set to do something WILL do something, but not always what
> >you want it to do." He could see I still didn't understand. "When you
> >break a board with a strike, it is because the board absorbs the total
> >energy of the strike, and not your fist. The breaking of the board
> >releases the energy. What happens if you don't focus your normal energy
> >correctly, and the board doesn't break?" I said "Your fist hurts." He
> >said "Right. What would happen if the board fell away before you hit
> >it?" I said "I would pull my fist back." He asked "Would that hurt your
> >arm?" I said "No, because both muscles are equal so I couldn't punch
> >harder than I could pull it back." Then he said "Ki flows only one way
> >when you use it to power a strike. Chess it."
> >
> > I did. Then I figured out I made a really BIG mistake! I could have
> >died! If I had not been standing just right, and not off balance even a
> >tiny little bit, or if the board were not tight in the frame, all that
> >ki could have bounced back on me and mess up my internal organs, or the
> >opposite. It could have pulled my whole arm off my body. I could never
> >have pulled it back if I missed the board. Thinking about that made me
> >want to throw up. I started crying. Sensei hugged me. I was surprised.
> >He never did that before. Maybe because I never cried in front of him
> >until now. He said "Lesson over. Dismissed." He was right. I didn't
> >need him to tell me I wasn't strong enough to do what I just did
> >safely.
> >
> > I knew something else too. I just did what I told Chad not to do. Now
> >I know why you have to teach, to learn more about fighting. I wish I
> >had listened to myself better. I will try my best not to make that
> >mistake ever again. I discovered you don't REALLY know something until
> >you teach it to somebody else, and be your own student at the same
> >time.
> >
> >
> >Your friend,
> >
> >Stephen
>
--
Grant
|
|