The End.

Rather than leave you with tremendously deep thoughts about the Kung Fu Body, I'll just say this: it was not at all what I expected. At times, I totally resented it. At other times, it was TOTALLY AMAZING. Looking to KFB for the same results I got on PCP was nigh on an impossible task, and I finally realized it a couple of weeks ago. The workouts are way more fun, that's for sure, but like Patrick said in his last e-mail to us, you can't go home again. I've learned that lesson in more than one way this year.

Still, a lot has changed in 90 days. Since KFB began, I have:

*turned 29.
*expanded my kitchen skills exponentially.
*come to my own understanding of death and the afterlife.
*started a writing group with Shivani and some other friends.
*discovered roller derby.
*signed up for that holistic nutrition certification course.
*made new friends.
*sung lots of Dolly Parton.
*driven cross-country for the third time.
*gotten a bike.
*watched my homeboy Pacato flourish in a creative new career.
*discovered eggplant caviar (thank you, Heather.)
*received loads of compliments on my arms.
*let go of many, many uncomfortable ideas about my body.
*embraced positive thinking with a simple word: YES!

And that's just a sample. . . .


So, instead of analysis, I will leave you with some milestones—
WEEK 1
Standing Jump: 10.5 inches (26.7 cm)


Consecutive Ball Punches: 25


Morning Standing Forward Bend: Fingertips to floor with slight bend in knees; fingertips to tops of toes without bending knees


WEEK 12
Standing Jump: 10.25 inches (26 cm)


Consecutive Ball Punches: 136 (That last one was sort of a whiff, so I stopped because I had to go to work.)


Morning Standing Forward Bend: Palms on the floor. Whoa.


And some photos—

BEFORE

AFTER

. . . so you can draw your own conclusions.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for your encouragement and thoughtful commentary. To everybody currently doing or thinking about starting PCP or KFB, I wish you all the best!

To all the TOTALLY BAD ASS PCP veterans-turned-KFB KNOCK-OUTS, I think a Day 91 happy dance is in order.

See you soon!

On in 5, 4, 3, 2 . . .

I'm blogging to you live from my wide angle forward bend. Currently six minutes in. How do you guys spend this time? So far, I have looked into an insurance matter that should have been paid back in April (could have made this half-hour stretch incredibly tense) and called a casting director about an HBO reality show based on Brooklyn couples (Pacato's idea.)

I realized the other day that saying YES! probably means I should take time for those people with clipboards who try to get the man on the street to stop and support their causes. At the very least, I can hear them out. Ignoring people on the street is such an automatic response for me in this city where everyone wants something from you. Seriously? I don't have five minutes to spare?

I am reframing my attitude in so many positive ways without even intending to. I used to find excuses for not even pursuing my own interests . . . like, say, attending an urban gardening seminar by myself. (I rode my bike to one last week!) Now, I believe that I can do things I previously would have been too afraid to try (like, attempting a handstand in the middle of the room—not yet successful, but that is not the point.)

Speaking of saying YES! to stuff, do you guys know anything about Soka Gakkai International? This tiny lady handed me a card in the subway the other day. This mission may require a wingman.

Also, while I've got you, I'm considering taking a holistic nutrition certification course. An e-mail put the buzz on me a couple days ago, and I can't stop thinking about it. I'm not sure what to do. Mostly because it is quite expensive (which could affect the "does not compromise my bank account" tenet), and I don't care so much about the certification part (although, I suppose it could be handy) but about the learning part.

Double hmm . . . maybe I should start a separate YES! blog that could help connect me to other cool experiences. Ponder, ponder . . .

Who needs the grocery store?

Yesterday, my YES! project took me on an unusual adventure through the wilds of Brooklyn's Prospect Park: foraging! Pacato, our new friend Ali, and I joined a four-hour tour led by the incredibly knowledgeable (and always prepared) Wildman Steve Brill.

The Wildman shows us how to recognize amaranth.

We found all kinds of edible leafy greens, berries, and varieties of cherries, as well as medicinal plants.

Yum, I can't remember what this green bean-tasting plant is called.

We simultaneously discover burdock root . . . and the fact that we forgot to bring a shovel so we couldn't actually take any home.

Turns out I really enjoy foraging. I may make it a hobby. At the very least, I am definitely going on another tour in the fall. When we got home, I made a tincture for skin irritations using jewel weed, some mugwort tea (good for preventing PMS symptoms and creating lucid dreams), and a dinner salad of lamb's quarters (with a spinach flavor), that green bean-tasting plant, and wood sorrel.

Voila! (Turnips—I think?—foraged from our CSA box. And salmon, from the local fish guy.)

What's that you say? You want more of the Wildman?

Oh, all right.

Impromptu jam session, Prospect Park 2010 from Emily Drum on Vimeo.