The Big Four

 

(thanks for the inspiration RL)

Spring is here. Summer is approaching fast. Soon, far too soon it seems, he'll be gone. Off to start his big adventure in America. The next step toward being an independent adult. It's a time of transition for all of us. The carefree weekends together of the past 20 years will be fond memories. The next time we meet he will be a very different person, totally changed from the one who left. I'll be different, too. In these last few months before he goes, are there any things I still have left to teach him? Are there any things I've learned in the past nearly 60 years that could help on his journey?? I tried to give him the best ideas I have. Things I've spent my whole life thinking about. Now, I'm sharing them with you.

The Big Four - four investable resources
The way I see it, we have four resources we can invest. These resources are, for the most part, finite and when they run out it usually leads to very bad outcomes for us. Catastrophic, life-altering bad outcomes.

Time - nobody gets more than 24/7/365. We get however many years we get until we're gone. This can be maximized by carefully using the others.

Money - I see this as a means to an end, not a goal in and of itself. Money is a facilitator and can be traded for the others.

Health - We often trade this one for other resources. When this is depleted, it impacts the others. A lot. 

Emotion - yes, finite. Using too much of this can leave us drained and exhausted and even cause us to overconsume the others.

As written above, these resources affect each other and are deeply connected. Very little happens in the domain of only a single resource. Therefore, it is important to consider the balance of resources we have and how we use them.

The Formula or "Recipe"
Given the four resources we have, the principal question becomes how to optimize them and derive the greatest benefit/value from them. Everything we choose to do in our lives will have a cost associated with it that can be considered as a mix or recipe of the four resources it involves. Different choices, even for similar things, can have very different costs involved. For example, being strict about my diet could maximize my health resource, but might do so by consuming additional time (meal preparation and study), money (buying premium ingredients) and even emotion (fasting can be very emotional). The jobs we choose, the place we live, the relationship partner we have (or even choosing to be alone) all have various costs associated with them which can be thought of as an equation:

(Time)+(Money)+(Health)+(Emotion) = Resource Cost 

Furthermore, choosing inherently yields not just a cost of resources, but also an opportunity cost. That is, choosing A means not choosing B,C,D, etcetera. For example, marrying a partner excludes us from marrying someone else (usually, anyway). Having a larger residence in the countryside means choosing not to live in a convenient part of the big city. Everything is a trade-off, a compromise between various resource combinations. 

Needs versus Wants
The resources are spent through a combination of our needs and wants. I define a need as something we simply cannot do without. It is non-negotiable for us and we are reluctant to compromise on it. By contrast, a want is something we might prefer to have, but could function without if necessary or accept a similar available substitute. We all need a place to live, but we do not need a 2,000 square meter penthouse. We may think we need to date a supermodel, but the cost of all the resources required for that may be egregious. I recommend spending significant time outlining our needs and wants, since they can change frequently. Furthermore, I think it is good to categorize/rank them so as to establish priority between choices in any given category such as education, hobbies, career choice, partner, residence, vacation, entertainment and the like.

For me, moving to Japan started as a want. At 14, I became fascinated with Japan and  began dreaming about living there some day. As plans came together, and subsequently fell apart, my commitment to Japan shifted from a want to a need. I was unable to imagine any version of my life anywhere else. I became obsessed with finding a way. I used almost all my time, money, emotion, even my health in pursuit of this goal and was willing to sacrifice them all to get my goal. In the end, getting to Japan took ten years, three failed attempts and my own near suicide before I was able to finally accomplish it. I'm still here more than 35 years later. For me, it was non-negotiable. The cost of resources to fulfill this need was far greater than I ever imagined it would be.  The payoff was also far greater than I ever imagined it could be. Achieving this goal set the foundation for the amazing life I’ve had.

Costs: What we know and what we don't

Costs come in two types, known and unknown. Some costs we can research and calculate relatively easily, particularly money costs and time costs. Health costs and emotional costs can prove far more difficult to estimate. In some cases, the effects of our life choices on health and emotional resources don't become clear for years or even decades. Some people find smoking or drinking to provide emotional comfort and help manage their stress and anxiety. They may choose to accept to use monetary resource even if the costs or tariffs go up (cigarettes and premium alcohol can be quite expensive) . They may even understand that doing so causes negative impacts on their health resource. However, the true cost of this may only become clear once the health problems like lung cancer, liver /kidney failure impact their daily life. My teacher used to say that if cigarettes killed you in five minutes no one would smoke. It's only because it happens slowly over 50 years that people choose to do it.

Yes, even people have a cost (if we choose to look at it that way). Given our finite resources, we must determine not only how we spend them but who we spend them with. Different people impact our resources positively or negatively. They may waste our time or they may help us spend our time and have wonderful memories. The right people in our lives can increase our resources by helping us live healthy, happy fulfilling lives and even inspire us to find the right career choices, the best partners and so on. This suggests that surrounding ourselves with other high quality people is very important. I think it is.

As per my example of Japan, costs can change over time and we must then re-evaluate if we are still willing to pay them. There are many situations in life where, faced with mounting costs, the best decision might be to give up and walk away. We usually have that choice. When a job we initially liked ends up costing too much in time, emotion and health we may choose to quit even if the money was attractive, for example. People are the same way. Sometimes their cost simply becomes too high and the best choice we can make is to walk away while we still have some resources left.

Choices as Investments

It can help to think of our choices as investments rather than costs. In this model, we invest our time, money, emotion and health into choices (including people) with the expectation of future benefit (return). Investing, by definition, is a long-term strategy. Warren Buffett, master investor, suggests that we should never invest in something we don't understand, and that we should invest with the intention of never selling our investment (why sell if it generates good returns?). I think this applies to people as well. Good people are worth our investment of time, energy, money and health to create a happy life together. When we adopt a short-term mentality about this our interactions become transactional and do not tend to yield good long-term outcomes. Thus, I recommend choosing our circle of associates very clearly, investing in them for the long-term, and enjoying the benefits of a healthy, nurturing friendship community in every area of our lives. As author Kurt Vonnegut Jr. wrote “we’re here to get through this thing, whatever it is.”

Two Types of Planning

So how do I plan to maximize the utility of my resources. I like to use two broad planning strategies.

Short to Medium Term = 30/60/90/120
I plan out detailed action plans for the 30/60/90/120 day buckets. This helps me organize my daily/weekly planning as well. With an eye out to 120 days, I start thinking about the lead time of the important things I want to achieve and their critical paths. These milestones help me continue to deliver on my wants and needs in a timely fashion and not end up postponing them indefinitely. It builds my confidence that when I decide to do something, my good planning will ensure I get it done. In project management we often say "Failing to plan means planning to fail". Without good planning, life is just wishful thinking, isn't it?

I started going to community college in Spring of 1987, after a few years of working and saving money after high school. I took an evening class, PSCH 101: "Intro to Psychology" on Wednesday nights. However, I soon realized that if I wanted to get a degree, I needed to go to class during the day since night and weekend classes were too few and far-between. This would mean changing jobs, since my warehouse job was 9-5 on weekdays. I spent the summer going to bartending school and ended up bartending nights until 1991. This allowed my to get my associates degree and ultimately my bachelors degree as well.

Long-term planning: The Bucket List
I was very inspired by the book "Die with Zero" by Bill Perkins. In it, he outlines planning experiences (bucket list) by decade. That means deliberately planning for the experiences we want in each ten-year period. The benefit is that it allows us to be mindful of our changing activity levels during our life and maps activities to when we are most likely to have the right combination of available resources to achieve them. In our 20s, an African safari or climbing Everest may be possible with our available health resources, but maybe not with our available time and monetary resources. It all comes down to good planning. Bill Perkins argues, successfully I think, that we can have the life we want if we plan properly for it. It is unlikely to happen through luck or by accident.

In Conclusion
So there you have it. Honeyman's view of the world and how to win in it. I told him last night that if he doesn't remember anything else I've ever tried to teach him, I want him to remember this. I hope he will. I hope it helps. I hope it helps you, too.  Agree?  Disagree?? Let me know what you think.

Under Pressure

 

(Thanks for the inspiration Guro Paolo)

I showed up on Day 2 of the Tokyo seminar with Guro Paulo Rubio not quite knowing what to expect. Usually I like to attend both days to ensure I have the full context and can perform at my best, but it wasn't possible this time. Still, one day is far better than no days, right? I've been watching his videos from Funker Tactical for more than 10 years, and they have consistently delivered leading edge (pun intended) information about practical applications of Kali.  

It was one of the best seminars I have attended. Guro Paulo not only knows his material fully and confidently, he is aware of the value he can bring from his teaching approach. He understands the attendees and what we need, and is laser-focused on delivering exactly that. The material is drawn largely from the PTK playbook, which means it is well-researched. What differs is Guro Paulo's presentation. As he stated "My job is not to know more than all of you. I cannot be the source of ultimate knowledge. What I can do is be an architect of great training environments." He is. This really resonated with me.

Rather than simply being focused on presenting information or variations of techniques and applications, there is a lot of value in crafting good training environments - situations where the techniques can be tested, explored, implemented and mastered. This bridges the gap from rote memorization to application, which is critical to mastery. Guro Paulo has studied and researched this topic in great depth, and it shows.

All too often, we focus on the techniques themselves, the drills and repetition. These are certainly good and important, but equally important is to balance this with scenario-based pressure testing. Yes, sparring is one method of achieving this, but it is not the only method (and sparring has limitations too). Guro Paulo's seminar was rich with problem-solving opportunities. He provided guidelines and "rules" to focus our solutioning, and allowed us to discover and explore. This requires maturity (no ego) on the part of the problem-solvers, but is a great way to uncover interesting situations and deepen understanding. We had a lot of fun and repeatedly found good solutions to good problems. 

Having  spent decades in aikido, one common criticism is that it doesn't work on an unwilling opponent. I've addressed this in other posts, but I believe this is not due to the fundamental techniques themselves but rather to the method in which they are taught and trained. Having been to war, O-Sensei (Ueshiba Morihei) was far more interested in a safe, spiritual practice that promoted peace/harmony and longevity than he was in presenting a devastating combat art. This does not mean that aikido techniques cannot be efficient and effective. It does mean that when the training goal is connecting with the partner and avoiding injury, those techniques will not be framed with the intention of life and death survival. The context is wrong. Aikido principles still lie at the heart of a lot of elite LEO and operator combat training and I have been teaching them in an effective manner for more than a decade. 

Another example is Tai Chi's use of the long sword and other weapons, where the flowing, hypnotic movement looks detached from any practical application apart from health. There are very practical applications of Tai Chi for fighting, including weapons work, that are at least on par with other combat arts. However, these are rarely trained in that context. 

Guro Paulo emphasized the importance of pressure testing the sequences and movements. Famous in FMA are groups like the Dog Brothers, who have focused on "higher consciousness through harder impact", which sits at the extreme end of pressure testing. This is not for everyone, but the point is clear. In order to be confident that the techniques are valid and we can apply them with success, we need to approximate real-world situations as much as we can (safely) do.

Pressuring ourselves is important not only to prove the effectiveness of our martial arts responses, but also to develop our ability to manage stress and perform when situations are critical. When we keep the pressure and intensity but reduce the speed and power, we create environments where problem-solving and discovery can be developed in depth.

A full-day was not enough to fully grasp everything that Guro Paulo had to show. I am excited to see him again next year and challenge myself on his level 1 instructor track. It's a great way to add additional dimensions to how we train in KM and continue to provide the best training for our students.

Salamat Po for the great training, Guro Paulo. See you next year (or before)! 

The Great Debate

 

He and I been friends a long time. In fact, he was one of the first who believed in me. We've shared countless meals, drinks and chats about many different topics over the years. We've traveled together many times and enjoyed our time together (and still do). Last night, however, we disagreed.

Not a mild disagreement, rather a fundamental disagreement about how society should function and how we should function as part of it. Both of us were passionate about our positions. Both of us were adamant. We tried, in vain, to persuade each other to accept our arguments. We tried to show why we were "right". In the end, our opinions were not changed. If anything, they were galvanized. That's OK.

What was really important was that we could disagree; deeply disagree. Passionately disagree. Yet still remain friends. We understood each other's positions. We accepted the logic, even though neither of us was swayed by the other. Through the argument we each gained a deeper insight into the other's perspective and came away with a newfound respect. At the end of the night, we hugged each other like we always do with no bitterness or hostility. Nothing but love.

There was no need to resort to personal attacks or character assassination. There was no need for shouting or threatening or insulting. Our disagreement did not damage our friendship or result in anger. We simply have opposing views on a topic of grave importance to us both. That's OK.

My country was founded on a two-party system designed to promote exactly the kind of dialog we had. It was deliberately structured so that both parties could have opposing views and through debate decide what outcome would be the most acceptable (or least unacceptable) to both sides. This method forces compromise and cooperation, as well as helping make sure both sides always get at least part of what they wanted.

It's very disappointing that these days we cannot disagree without it descending into visceral hatred and  potential violence. We are all stuck in our microtribalism and living in echo chambers where we never really get an opportunity to safely challenge each other and discuss the important issues of our time in a respectful way. We actively avoid anyone who doesn't share the exact same beliefs we do. We seek to reinforce our confirmation bias at every opportunity, afraid of ever being wrong or, God forbid, persuaded to change our minds.  This is not healthy for us nor for society writ large.

Sadly, our leaders model the worst possible behavior and spread lies and personal attacks rather than accurate information and persuasive logic. It is increasingly difficult to find quality news and information and every day it is more challenging to find the truth hidden in all the misinformation. We are disillusioned and mistrustful of everything that doesn't align with our personal worldview.

I yearn for a simpler time when we could actively debate our way forward. I wish we could get rid of all the poisonous rhetoric and focus on the facts in order to decide the path that brings the most benefit to the majority of Americans (not just the billionaires). I wish I could trust again.

I'm grateful for having the kinds of friends, true friends, that I can disagree with. It's a blessing.

Smashing It

 

(Thanks for the inspiration David)

This weekend we met David and his lovely daughter. David is a junior high school teacher, which means he has nearly infinite patience given that he needs to navigate early-stage teenagers through one of the most challenging periods of their lives. He is a direct, no-nonsense guy, and it turns out I had some things to learn from him, too.

One of David's favorite phases is "smash it". Over the course of the weekend, we "smashed" snowboarding runs (Naeba), "smashed" our breakfasts, and even "smashed" some of the party games he had prepared to entertain us on Saturday night. I came to love that phrase and have been thinking about it all weekend.

These days we are inundated with data and information to an overwhelming degree. People can't stop looking at their phones, at Youtube/TikTok/Instagram/Facebook/Snapchat. We have so much news and content coming at us it's becoming harder and harder to determine what is true, what is real (not AI-generated), what to focus on or prioritize, and even when to act. We often feel like if we wait just a little longer, we might get new/better information to make better decisions. We get stuck in "analysis paralysis" and end up doing nothing at all. I asked David about his phrase and he explained that, having grown up on a farm, there were always chores to be done no matter the day of the week or the weather. They simply had to be done every day. These were not deep-thought experiments. They were tasks that had both vital importance to the farm operation and were shared across the family members. Standing around was not going to help. In such cases, David advised, the best approach was to just smash it out ("get it done"). I was reminded that it is critically important to live with a sense of urgency; a bias to action. This mindset helps us prioritize and then just get moving, get busy so we can get things done.

I thought of a passage in Yamamoto Tsunetomo's famous book "Hagakure" (Hidden leaves) , which was his treatise on Bushido for young samurai. He wrote "The Way of the samurai is one of immediacy. It is best to dash in headlong." This does not condone foolhardiness, rather it is rewarding the notion that when we know what must be done we must not hesitate. This is also referred to as "Right Action in the Right Moment" and is an aspirational outcome of good zen practice.

In fighting particularly, it is important to learn how to recognize danger and, when we do, to act boldly without hesitation until the matter is resolved rather than waiting for a situation to escalate out of control. This decisiveness gives us the best chance of minimizing risk and injury, not only to ourselves, but to others (including our attacker(s)). Decisiveness is not to be underestimated.

There is a time for long and deliberate reflection, of course. However, in general we would all do well to have a constant sense of urgency about living our lives, and to do so with decisiveness and immediacy.

Thank you for the lesson, David-Sensei!

Let's Smash it at training!

Eyes that See

 

Some martial arts classes are nothing but constant motion - long repetition of the same techniques over and over again. Almost no talking, no explanation. Drills and Kata are done by observing the instructor and mimicking his/her movements while the instructor drifts around the class correcting everything. This was my original dojo in suburban Chicago. It was many traditional dojos I have trained at across aikido and kenjutsu particularly. However, in my original dojo, for every hour I spent on the mat I had at least another hour of self-study “homework”. Sometimes books to read or VHS (in those days), sometimes meditations to do, sometimes lectures or discussions. I kept detailed notes and we always brought a notebook and pen to training. Always.

My teacher required us to be versed in history and philosophy of warfare/combat and to read and study constantly (in addition to my schoolwork). Often he would host discussions and once I became Deshi (disciple) it was constant. Every car ride or meal would have these dialogs and I knew to come prepared. This has formed the foundation of my approach to studying martial arts since then.

If you've been to one of my classes you quickly realize I have my own way of teaching that is a bit different from other dojos. We cover at least three subsystems in each session, but we have almost two hours of class time so I don't feel hard-pressed to rush through thousands of reps. Instead, I try to give background and context for the techniques, frameworks, patterns or drills we do rather than just do them mindlessly. To me, it's very important to emphasize the WHY of what we do.

Like any skill, at the beginning martial arts is awkward and requires our body to learn entirely new ways of moving. We struggle with even basic movements and battle our own frustration. Watching our instructors seemingly effortlessly demonstrate each technique doesn't really make us feel any better, and we often forget that they went through the same process themselves once, eventually practicing the techniques enough to become proficient. In this stage of learning, rote memorization, muscle memory to be exact, is the usual goal. We are laying the foundation and building the scaffolding for a future in martial arts. In music, this would be the equivalent of just playing the scales and chords over and over. It's important for our fingers to move seamlessly on the fret or keyboard. At the same time, this is why so many people (including me) quit music practice. Good music study is far more than just putting your fingers on the instrument. That is just one component.

I emphasize the why because I want to prepare students from day one for a future that will allow them to go beyond the drills I teach them. I want them to understand how the human body works, its strong and weak points. I want them to learn how to use their own bodies correctly to generate power and control distance. I want them to understand timing and cadence, and to truly appreciate the importance of strategy and tactics in fighting. In the end, I want them to look at all martial arts with the eyes of a professional - someone who understands at a glance what is going on. I want them to become self-learners, able to absorb content, ideas and inspiration effectively from any sources available. In music, these are those musicians who can improvise and pay by ear, who can read music but also write music - musicians with their own voice and playing style - comfortable across genres and instruments.

These are students who will one day be excellent instructors, with the depth of knowledge and understanding to prepare future generations to carry on our legacy - that of Punong Guro Fred Evrard, Guro Lila, Guro Ben and the rest of our legendary instructors. As Sigung Bruce said "the highest technique is to have no technique". Of course this is not possible at the beginning, but it is a worthy goal to move beyond drills or patterns into pure movement and expression. FLOW, after all, is the goal.

Achieving this worthy goal requires far more than just rote muscle memory. It requires a bit of academic study, a bit of theory, a bit of culture and a bit of philosophy as well as 10,000 hours on the mats themselves. I am grateful that PG Fred instilled these in all of us. His deep, lifelong study is reflected in the many excellent books he wrote, as well as the many hours in class and at camps which he shared with all of us. We were always free to ask questions, and free to discover answers on our own, too. Most of us spent a lot of time outside of class training, but also reading, watching, attending seminars and documenting our journeys. These were all important to develop our eyes. This is how we learned to truly see the journey and to better appreciate it.

So no, I don't teach a "Kali-cize" class. If people want that there are many other dojos or studios for it. What I do teach is the distillation of 45 years of martial arts study (18 of those in Kali Majapahit) and training with some of the world's greatest martial arts instructors. I am still constantly learning new material and studying/researching to deepen my own understanding. My goal in every class is to provide full access to my knowledge and experience, in the hopes that it makes each student's journey richer and their understanding more complete. I hope they will come to love Kali and the martial arts as much as I do and enjoy a lifetime of discovery as I have done.

See you at class

      

Fighting Back

 

Like many people, I started in martial arts because I wanted to fight. Not fight per se, Fight Back. I had been bullied mercilessly for almost ten years in public school. Nearly every day I was assaulted, physically or emotionally. I had to have constant supervision by the school staff for my protection. I had to stay within sight of teachers during lunch and recess and was escorted to my classrooms by faculty to make sure I wouldn't get attacked in between lessons. I was sent home from school early so that the bullies could not catch me before I got home. Somehow, they still found a way. I wanted revenge more than anything. That's what I thought at the time, anyway.

Over several years, and with good instruction, I learned that I wasn't in martial arts to fight others so much as I was learning to fight myself - learning to combat my weakness, my laziness, my doubts and fears so that ultimately I would be immune to bullying. I would become strong enough to push past obstacles and confident enough to live my life my way regardless of anyone else. This took a long time, but it laid the foundation for everything I have become and achieved throughout my life. I truly believe that without martial arts training I would have failed as a person. The training has saved my life again and again, mostly from myself rather than from others. This is why I am dedicated to sharing this gift as an instructor, in the hopes that other lives can be saved, too.

Along the way I also learned that most fights are not in the streets or back alleys. Most fights are the fights we have every day to remain true to our beliefs and to resist the messages of media and propaganda that would pull us away from our center. The news is depressing and hopeless, hammering us with negativity and rage baiting us into hating one another. Social media pressures us to try to achieve unrealistic lifestyles at the cost of our physical and mental health. We are made to believe we are incomplete and lacking in everything we are told we should want; told repeatedly that "more is better" and that we are not enough. We are forced to have "hustle" in order to make other people wealthier while we suffer from burnout and depression. We define ourselves by our LinkedIn profile and our job title. Meanwhile we feel empty inside.

In the end, the simplicity of being happy feels unachievable. We start to accept that the world is in entropy and ending right before our eyes, and that we are powerless to save it. We are broken again and again. Mostly we are heartbroken over the never ending feelings of loss that engulf us. We are bewildered by the feeling that something fundamental is missing from our lives.

Martial arts training can help. Through our time in the dojo we can remove distractions. One step at a time, one class at a time, we can develop focus and discipline. We can challenge our minds and bodies. We can set and achieve goals and be recognized. We can be equal. We can find fellowship and develop lifelong friends who will support each other. We can develop the courage to fight back against all the negativity and strengthen our resolve to be the best version of ourselves, without tying that to guilt over who we are today. We can remember that we are enough. And that we can still be MORE. We realize we can make a difference. We matter. We are not alone.

These are trying times. Times that need warriors. Peaceful Warriors. Times that need people like us.

Let's make 2026 the year we FIGHT.

Together.

For all of us.  

Farewell Chuck

 

I met Chuck Mauldin in 1991, during the summer just before I turned fourteen years old. He was 18 and had just graduated high school, and was also the senior student of Randy Moore, aka Sabutai Musashi, Head of the Eternal Dragon School of Ninjutsu in suburban Chicago, a place that would mark my first seven years as the beginning of my 45-year (so far) journey in the martial arts. The Eternal Dragon School was a very traditional dojo that taught Ninjutsu and other budo, and until I was 21 it was basically my home away from home. Chuck became a mentor to me during my critical teenage years and I am very grateful for having had such good fortune.

Chuck was a state-class track and field competitor in high school and a perfect role model for the beginning of my martial arts life. He was a stern disciplinarian, but always took the time to teach and explain, and to carefully instruct me in every technique. More than that, Chuck taught me through his actions and words that martial arts were first and foremost a mental discipline, a physical chess of strategy and tactics that would be won by the smarter man; the man with the greatest willpower. Over the years we trained together, I'm sure I never beat him in sparring, I'm sure I never even came close. That said, he always made me feel like I had done OK, and that my skills were improving. The mark of a truly great senpai.

After college, he became a law enforcement professional, working as a dispatcher for the DuPage county sheriff's department and later in the private sector as a professional bodyguard. He guarded many notable celebrities and executives, eventually becoming a highly sought-after executive security consultant and instructor at the prestigious ESI Academy in Colorado. From time to time he would visit Japan for work and very kindly would always find time to catch up over a meal.

Chuck inspired me to walk the warrior path originally, even more so than my teachers at the time. He showed me what this life could be and who I could become if I ever learned to master myself the way he had (I'm still working on it). The times when he would pick me up at school and drop me off after training were filled with him sharing the wisdom and knowledge I desperately needed, like the big brother I always wished I had. I was immensely proud of the life he made for himself and maybe, in a certain way, he was proud of me too. I'd like to think he respected me for making my life in Japan and staying on the path all these years, even if it was never my full-time occupation like it was for him.

A month ago, our mutual friend Ray, now retired from the DuPage county sheriff's department, let me know that Chuck had suffered a severe stroke and was now in a wheelchair. That was very hard for me to imagine, since I can only picture him as being larger than life, dynamic and physical. It was even harder this morning to receive news of his untimely passing. Part of me feels he just couldn't accept being anything less than the superhero he had been all of his life, and chose to let go on his own terms. A true warrior to his last breath.

The world is a darker place today with him being gone. I'm so grateful for the knowledge and wisdom he invested in me. He will never be forgotten.

I will miss you, Chuck, my senpai, my friend. I'll see you again before too long.

Rest In Power