Post by Fiona McFly on Aug 21, 2017 2:43:26 GMT
FIONA'S JOURNAL
19 August 2017
Dear Kathy...
Even as Sara Garcia got the trap on me last week, if there was one thing I realised from that moment in time...is that I still have much to learn. After all...we spend our lives learning something new every day, even as we get older and our bodies become more fragile. That's the beauty of wrestling, music, constructing buildings, etc. We might THINK of giving up our livelihoods just 'cos we have our fair share of stumbles, but no matter what happens, we must ALWAYS sit down, close our eyes, and continue pressing onward, even as those who hate us laugh, snicker, and brag about ust how badly we truly suck as human beings.
For every day is a new day, for every moment brings about it...a sense of hope that some just don't understand.
You KNOW what the malcontents tell you, right?
They say the same things over and over again until they start wasting their breath, not even realising just how foolish they might sound. Like how you've never been a Champion before, like how you've always tried to use your own position to bully your way into the spotlight over those that THINK they deserve such treatment, "yadda-yadda-yadda" as me husband would say. And when you look at yourself in the mirror, when you stare at your own reflection...you hear those voices in your mind, telling you to stay out of a ring and behind a desk where you belong!
It makes you question your own sanity, doesn't it? It makes you wonder why you're so high up into this gig in the first place, hrmm?
Here's the deal: it doesn't matter what OTHER people say about you. It's about what you say about YOURSELF.
I can truly empathise with you and your plights outside of an arena. In fact, I'm going on the record and saying that, in spite of our own professional differences, I respected you since day number one. Deep in your soul, no matter what you do for a living, you're a competitor at your very core. You want to work twice as hard at maintaining your strengths as a wrestler as you do now as the head of the Diamonds division. You want the best of both worlds, you want the shut the haters up at all costs, and you'll keep digging at it until you finally get the magic formula working just right.
But nothing on this planet comes easy, and ANYONE that thinks otherwise...will be doomed to fail.
Look at me Kathy. When you're standing in the ring with me and look in me eyes...what do you see?
I cannot answer that question, lovely. You'll have to figure it out for yourself.
The entire world knows that I've always found myself in a rather unfavourable position--always on the cusp of doing something very special yet coming up just millimeters short. The others would deride me 'cos of me interests outside of an arena, that I don't CARE about this business anymore. Yet in me heart, wrestling and songwriting are just merely components, parts of a two-year odyssey I have taken that has blessed me with NUMEROUS opportunities to grow and succeed as a person. I've had moments where I just wanted to give up and walk away, that I wasn't feeling as if I'm doing great or whatnot.
But through every loss, through every time I've stumbled and fallen...I've NEVER given up. I've stayed the course. I've treasured every moment, savoured every mouthful of what I've been given--even as the world we both love has torn itself apart. I've striven to push myself HARDER with each passing day until I managed to get things going again, even as the doubters have said--time after time--that I couldn't be a good fighter or singer, that I couldn't do the things I've ALWAYS wanted to do in life.
That will never change Kathy. Not now, not ever...
...and even if the papers will say that someone has to win or someone has to lose, I will ALWAYS believe that I can go out into the world and become the REAL Champion I truly want to be.
No matter what the other voices will say.
Cheerio!
~~~
~Verse 2~
18 August 2017 + 1400 GMT
PURPLE CLOUD MONASTERY + WUDANG MOUNTAINS
There was a haze, a mist that blanketed the serenity of one of China's most famous monasteries.
Nearly four weeks after Regina Kimble's passing, peace and quiet were the two things she truly needed the most.
It was where we find Fiona McFly milling about, looking around at the centuries-old complex with wide-eyed wonder. She had never seen anything like it, nor had she ever dreamed of finding herself at a religious place quite like it. She stood about and closed her eyes, not even paying attention as hordes of monks and pilgrims, most of whom were wearing traditional garb, walked past and entered the largest structure on the base of the mountain.
Yet the place was known for more than simply a gathering spot for fellowship or otherwise.
It was much, much more than that.
Fiona turned her head, watching as a group of martial artists, under the tutelage of an instructor, practised their daily exercises like clockwork, with a hint of laser-crafted precision that seemed to resonate within her soul. The Wudangs were the primary hub for their own class of martial science, which roughly translated as "the ultimate fist," and the sight of an entire class learning its tenets made her smile.
It was nothing like the gym she had worked out in before back home.
She was so immersed in the sight, she didn't pay attention as a calming hand placed itself firmly on her back, as if somebody wanted to bless her. Fiona didn't even realise that a monk was trying to tell her something...
"Qù jīn shāndǐng. Zhǐyǒu nǐ huì zhǎodào hépíng. (Go to the Golden Summit. Only there will you find peace.)"
...after all, she had no concept of traditional Mandarin, much less understanding of the traditional language. Yet deep down, she felt compelled to look up towards the top of the mountain itself, where another temple stood proudly. Up ahead of her, she saw the entrance to a hiking trail which led to the summit and cautiously stepped forward, taking in the sights and sounds of nature in its most awesome form.
It soon became a blur from this moment onward.
Even though nothing was as easy as it looked.
Yet Fiona, as if a higher power was trying to convince her that the rewards were great indeed, progressed along the trail. It was a slow and steady walk at first as she had become surrounded by trees on all sides, the initial Purple Cloud location becoming less visible with each and every step she took. The slow walk soon turned into a steady jog upward, much like the ones she took back in Texas every morning as part of her own regimen.
But it was nothing like those Arlington, Texas runs.
This was different. She cut through the haze, an almost-interminable fog that seemed to thin out with every step she took on the concrete surface. Eventually, she made it halfway up the cliff, to a small loading station to a cable car that would ferry passengers from the base all the way to the summit and in-between. She stopped for a moment, breathing very heavily and almost crying, her athletically-trained body not used to the thin air and the overall labour of the climb itself.
She needed a canteen of water in the worst way, but there was none to be found on her.
The aura around her had begun to change. For it was as if time begin to slow down, almost to a crawl.
Fiona closed her eyes and pondered taking the cable car up to the summit. Once more, however, she felt a soothing hand rest firmly on the back of her neck. In her mind, the gesture made her feel comforted, blessed that she had made it this far, but when she turned around to see who it was, she made direct eye contact with the gentle Taoist monk who approached her whilst she was at the Wudang base.
"Zhǐyǒu yīgè shǎguā cái huì shǐyòng jīqì wánchéng rènwù. (Only a fool would use a machine to accomplish a task.)"
She gazed into the stranger's eyes, wondering what he was trying to tell her, but the man, wearing an orange-and-red robe, continued on.
"Dāng nǐ diédǎo shí, dāng nǐ xiǎng fàngqì shí, zhùyì zuì'ài de dōngxī. Zhǐyǒu zhèyàng, nǐmen cáinéng huòdé lìliàng hé yǒngqì de ēncì. (When you fall down, when you feel like giving up, focus on the things that you love the most. Only then, will you be blessed with the gifts of strength and courage.)"
The monk nodded his head, for he knew that Fiona was no ordinary soul, but a traveler struggling to find her way in a cruel, foul world. Yet in her heart, Fiona--in spite of her lack of knowledge regarding the traditional Chinese language that was Mandarin--began to internally comprehend the wise man's words as she faced forward, steadily resuming her jog.
It all made seense.
She took a deep breath, imagining herself back in the recording studio as her band performed the sound base that would ultimately become the tune she had been lyricising ever since Miss Kimble's passing, a down-paced, yet uplifting power-pop ballad with the E-key as its primary melodic score. Yet most important of all, she began to vision herself back home with her husband, sharing stories of years gone by over her favourite brunch.
It was all the encouragement she needed to continue.
Her face was haggard, her hair was frazzled, and her breathing was heavy...yet she continued onward. The time around her seemed to speed up quickly once again with each passing moment, with each singular footstep, until at long last the foggy vibe faded into nothingness, replaced by chirping birds and a stiff, cool, easterly breeze. She saw the entrance to the monastery up ahead, but she couldn't resist the temptation to turn around and look down at the sight below.
What a sight it was!
She was above all the haze, firmly perched on top of the chaotic hustle and bustle that had been prevalent on the base of the mountain at Purple Cloud. It was an incredible view that Fiona beheld with a smile; yet she also knew that the ourney to get to this point wasn't as simple as she thought it would be. It was hell, it was tiresome, but indeed...she made it. She was thirsty and tired, but in her soul the trek was well worth it. Yet she spotted the monk, who had made dozens of these treks before in his life, climbing up the steps and heading towards her position; he winked at her, prompting Fiona to muster a slight grin as he pointed toward the Taoist monastery's entrance.
She didn't need a voice to tell her where she needed to go next.
Fiona turned around, eventually walking inside the monastery and down a corridor. She was overcome by the sweet aromas of burning incense on all sides, as if Mother Nature herself had made her feel welcome inside her own home. Down the main corridor she went, tip-toeing silently so as not to disturb the sanctity of it all. She found herself in a small room, staring firmly at what appeared to be a small well built with silver and gold plating. She stepped towards the object and looked down at perhaps the clearest form of water she had ever seen before.
It was as clear as crystal itself.
She looked down upon the aqua, peering her eyes upon her own reflection, seeing her own haggard expression in the process...yet the experience of it all made her smile.
"The Well of Peace. Drink from it...and nothing will defeat you."
The monk's stately, god-like voice, in slightly-broken English--scared Fiona for a moment, causing her to jump back slightly. Yet she calmly stepped up to the well and looked back at the older gentleman; he gave a slight nod, blessing her as she--quite literally--dunked her head into the cold drink. She pulled her head out, breathing heavily as the smile on her dampened visage grew wider by the second.
It was the best drink of water she had ever had.
Thinking of the second verse of song she had written in her personal diary, she dunked her head in once more and pulled out, letting the drops fall from her face and into the well as she gazed upon her own mirror image, mentalising an image of what she once was, what she is now, and what she will become in the future.
And even if it was just for one day, everything was going to be just fine.
"If you stumble and fall,
if you feel like giving up on it all,
Always count upon your blessings,
treasure every moment and every day;
Even as the storms rage around you,
and stand firm in your way..."
~TO BE CONTINUED~
19 August 2017
Dear Kathy...
Even as Sara Garcia got the trap on me last week, if there was one thing I realised from that moment in time...is that I still have much to learn. After all...we spend our lives learning something new every day, even as we get older and our bodies become more fragile. That's the beauty of wrestling, music, constructing buildings, etc. We might THINK of giving up our livelihoods just 'cos we have our fair share of stumbles, but no matter what happens, we must ALWAYS sit down, close our eyes, and continue pressing onward, even as those who hate us laugh, snicker, and brag about ust how badly we truly suck as human beings.
For every day is a new day, for every moment brings about it...a sense of hope that some just don't understand.
You KNOW what the malcontents tell you, right?
They say the same things over and over again until they start wasting their breath, not even realising just how foolish they might sound. Like how you've never been a Champion before, like how you've always tried to use your own position to bully your way into the spotlight over those that THINK they deserve such treatment, "yadda-yadda-yadda" as me husband would say. And when you look at yourself in the mirror, when you stare at your own reflection...you hear those voices in your mind, telling you to stay out of a ring and behind a desk where you belong!
It makes you question your own sanity, doesn't it? It makes you wonder why you're so high up into this gig in the first place, hrmm?
Here's the deal: it doesn't matter what OTHER people say about you. It's about what you say about YOURSELF.
I can truly empathise with you and your plights outside of an arena. In fact, I'm going on the record and saying that, in spite of our own professional differences, I respected you since day number one. Deep in your soul, no matter what you do for a living, you're a competitor at your very core. You want to work twice as hard at maintaining your strengths as a wrestler as you do now as the head of the Diamonds division. You want the best of both worlds, you want the shut the haters up at all costs, and you'll keep digging at it until you finally get the magic formula working just right.
But nothing on this planet comes easy, and ANYONE that thinks otherwise...will be doomed to fail.
Look at me Kathy. When you're standing in the ring with me and look in me eyes...what do you see?
I cannot answer that question, lovely. You'll have to figure it out for yourself.
The entire world knows that I've always found myself in a rather unfavourable position--always on the cusp of doing something very special yet coming up just millimeters short. The others would deride me 'cos of me interests outside of an arena, that I don't CARE about this business anymore. Yet in me heart, wrestling and songwriting are just merely components, parts of a two-year odyssey I have taken that has blessed me with NUMEROUS opportunities to grow and succeed as a person. I've had moments where I just wanted to give up and walk away, that I wasn't feeling as if I'm doing great or whatnot.
But through every loss, through every time I've stumbled and fallen...I've NEVER given up. I've stayed the course. I've treasured every moment, savoured every mouthful of what I've been given--even as the world we both love has torn itself apart. I've striven to push myself HARDER with each passing day until I managed to get things going again, even as the doubters have said--time after time--that I couldn't be a good fighter or singer, that I couldn't do the things I've ALWAYS wanted to do in life.
That will never change Kathy. Not now, not ever...
...and even if the papers will say that someone has to win or someone has to lose, I will ALWAYS believe that I can go out into the world and become the REAL Champion I truly want to be.
No matter what the other voices will say.
Cheerio!
~~~
~Verse 2~
18 August 2017 + 1400 GMT
PURPLE CLOUD MONASTERY + WUDANG MOUNTAINS
There was a haze, a mist that blanketed the serenity of one of China's most famous monasteries.
Nearly four weeks after Regina Kimble's passing, peace and quiet were the two things she truly needed the most.
It was where we find Fiona McFly milling about, looking around at the centuries-old complex with wide-eyed wonder. She had never seen anything like it, nor had she ever dreamed of finding herself at a religious place quite like it. She stood about and closed her eyes, not even paying attention as hordes of monks and pilgrims, most of whom were wearing traditional garb, walked past and entered the largest structure on the base of the mountain.
Yet the place was known for more than simply a gathering spot for fellowship or otherwise.
It was much, much more than that.
Fiona turned her head, watching as a group of martial artists, under the tutelage of an instructor, practised their daily exercises like clockwork, with a hint of laser-crafted precision that seemed to resonate within her soul. The Wudangs were the primary hub for their own class of martial science, which roughly translated as "the ultimate fist," and the sight of an entire class learning its tenets made her smile.
It was nothing like the gym she had worked out in before back home.
She was so immersed in the sight, she didn't pay attention as a calming hand placed itself firmly on her back, as if somebody wanted to bless her. Fiona didn't even realise that a monk was trying to tell her something...
"Qù jīn shāndǐng. Zhǐyǒu nǐ huì zhǎodào hépíng. (Go to the Golden Summit. Only there will you find peace.)"
...after all, she had no concept of traditional Mandarin, much less understanding of the traditional language. Yet deep down, she felt compelled to look up towards the top of the mountain itself, where another temple stood proudly. Up ahead of her, she saw the entrance to a hiking trail which led to the summit and cautiously stepped forward, taking in the sights and sounds of nature in its most awesome form.
It soon became a blur from this moment onward.
Even though nothing was as easy as it looked.
Yet Fiona, as if a higher power was trying to convince her that the rewards were great indeed, progressed along the trail. It was a slow and steady walk at first as she had become surrounded by trees on all sides, the initial Purple Cloud location becoming less visible with each and every step she took. The slow walk soon turned into a steady jog upward, much like the ones she took back in Texas every morning as part of her own regimen.
But it was nothing like those Arlington, Texas runs.
This was different. She cut through the haze, an almost-interminable fog that seemed to thin out with every step she took on the concrete surface. Eventually, she made it halfway up the cliff, to a small loading station to a cable car that would ferry passengers from the base all the way to the summit and in-between. She stopped for a moment, breathing very heavily and almost crying, her athletically-trained body not used to the thin air and the overall labour of the climb itself.
She needed a canteen of water in the worst way, but there was none to be found on her.
The aura around her had begun to change. For it was as if time begin to slow down, almost to a crawl.
Fiona closed her eyes and pondered taking the cable car up to the summit. Once more, however, she felt a soothing hand rest firmly on the back of her neck. In her mind, the gesture made her feel comforted, blessed that she had made it this far, but when she turned around to see who it was, she made direct eye contact with the gentle Taoist monk who approached her whilst she was at the Wudang base.
"Zhǐyǒu yīgè shǎguā cái huì shǐyòng jīqì wánchéng rènwù. (Only a fool would use a machine to accomplish a task.)"
She gazed into the stranger's eyes, wondering what he was trying to tell her, but the man, wearing an orange-and-red robe, continued on.
"Dāng nǐ diédǎo shí, dāng nǐ xiǎng fàngqì shí, zhùyì zuì'ài de dōngxī. Zhǐyǒu zhèyàng, nǐmen cáinéng huòdé lìliàng hé yǒngqì de ēncì. (When you fall down, when you feel like giving up, focus on the things that you love the most. Only then, will you be blessed with the gifts of strength and courage.)"
The monk nodded his head, for he knew that Fiona was no ordinary soul, but a traveler struggling to find her way in a cruel, foul world. Yet in her heart, Fiona--in spite of her lack of knowledge regarding the traditional Chinese language that was Mandarin--began to internally comprehend the wise man's words as she faced forward, steadily resuming her jog.
It all made seense.
She took a deep breath, imagining herself back in the recording studio as her band performed the sound base that would ultimately become the tune she had been lyricising ever since Miss Kimble's passing, a down-paced, yet uplifting power-pop ballad with the E-key as its primary melodic score. Yet most important of all, she began to vision herself back home with her husband, sharing stories of years gone by over her favourite brunch.
It was all the encouragement she needed to continue.
Her face was haggard, her hair was frazzled, and her breathing was heavy...yet she continued onward. The time around her seemed to speed up quickly once again with each passing moment, with each singular footstep, until at long last the foggy vibe faded into nothingness, replaced by chirping birds and a stiff, cool, easterly breeze. She saw the entrance to the monastery up ahead, but she couldn't resist the temptation to turn around and look down at the sight below.
What a sight it was!
She was above all the haze, firmly perched on top of the chaotic hustle and bustle that had been prevalent on the base of the mountain at Purple Cloud. It was an incredible view that Fiona beheld with a smile; yet she also knew that the ourney to get to this point wasn't as simple as she thought it would be. It was hell, it was tiresome, but indeed...she made it. She was thirsty and tired, but in her soul the trek was well worth it. Yet she spotted the monk, who had made dozens of these treks before in his life, climbing up the steps and heading towards her position; he winked at her, prompting Fiona to muster a slight grin as he pointed toward the Taoist monastery's entrance.
She didn't need a voice to tell her where she needed to go next.
Fiona turned around, eventually walking inside the monastery and down a corridor. She was overcome by the sweet aromas of burning incense on all sides, as if Mother Nature herself had made her feel welcome inside her own home. Down the main corridor she went, tip-toeing silently so as not to disturb the sanctity of it all. She found herself in a small room, staring firmly at what appeared to be a small well built with silver and gold plating. She stepped towards the object and looked down at perhaps the clearest form of water she had ever seen before.
It was as clear as crystal itself.
She looked down upon the aqua, peering her eyes upon her own reflection, seeing her own haggard expression in the process...yet the experience of it all made her smile.
"The Well of Peace. Drink from it...and nothing will defeat you."
The monk's stately, god-like voice, in slightly-broken English--scared Fiona for a moment, causing her to jump back slightly. Yet she calmly stepped up to the well and looked back at the older gentleman; he gave a slight nod, blessing her as she--quite literally--dunked her head into the cold drink. She pulled her head out, breathing heavily as the smile on her dampened visage grew wider by the second.
It was the best drink of water she had ever had.
Thinking of the second verse of song she had written in her personal diary, she dunked her head in once more and pulled out, letting the drops fall from her face and into the well as she gazed upon her own mirror image, mentalising an image of what she once was, what she is now, and what she will become in the future.
And even if it was just for one day, everything was going to be just fine.
"If you stumble and fall,
if you feel like giving up on it all,
Always count upon your blessings,
treasure every moment and every day;
Even as the storms rage around you,
and stand firm in your way..."
~TO BE CONTINUED~
Well howdy there pardner.