Find The Depths of Your Mind...
Grasp Your Imagination... And Unlock Your Inner Self...

Steve Fossum



Back about 1985, I first met a man named Chris Freeman when he walked into my karate school and asked if I would train him.
Chris went on to make sure I knew he had lived a terribly rebellious, hard life. He had been in and out of jail, even prison. His crimes were not personal towards people, something like theft or something, it really doesn't matter. Upon first glance Chris was a pretty scary sight until you got to know what was behind it all...
About 6'2", long black hair down to the middle of his back and one of those Fu Manchu moustaches...
I needed to point this out because of what I'm posting here.

Despite his scary looks, Chris spoke with a very soft voice. He went on to train with me until 1987 or 88, when a job took him out of the area. During his time with me he took a lot of private lessons and earned a Blue Belt, which was actually quite an accomplishment in our martial art system, where out of over 3,000 students that I trained from January, 1982 to 2005 only 389 students achieved a color Belt rank and only 6 of those made Black Belt.
(See S5 Rank Here)

I never heard from him after that, don't even know if he is alive today.

We often had classes about the depth of ones mind, and how powerful imagination is whether it be in martial arts, or our every day lives. the martial arts we taught was "VERY" mental based. sure there was a lot of physical movements involved, but the core of the style centered around the strength of ones mind and how one can control it. The main focus of the style was summed up in a quote I once wrote,

"It's not what you know, it's what you're willing to do."

In my thinking of it, it referred to what many call "Book Smart" martial artists...
Ones who can learn all the "Names" of the techniques and even perform them, only to freeze up mentally when those valuable physical skills are needed.
Something I would too often see from other black belts in other styles...
As they say in car shows, "All Show, No Go!"

So, after we had an intense mind set class, Chris gave me something I have until this day that I'd like to share with all of you. Keep in mind as you read it, what this individual looked like, and that he would be the last person you would think could have written this. It's still on our office wall today as it reminds me often that you can't judge someone by the way they look, and in the case of the martial arts we trained in, what you see in our movement, is only the tip of the iceberg... What you can't see is the power of our minds and how deep that source of power goes...

Enjoy this...
Thank You Chris... Wherever you are...


________________________________________________________



The Snow White Unicorn

I was walking through a forest
one beautiful summer day
when suddenly I realized
I must have lost my way


I couldn't say for sure
'cause I didn't really know
which direction I should take
or which way that I should go


But this place was so enchanting
that I didn't even care
Birds were all around me
there was magic in the air


I was checking out some squirrels
when I saw something beyond the trees
something standing in a clearing
I wondered what it could be


So I walked up to the meadow
and imagine my surprise
when I saw a Snow White Unicorn
I could hardly believe my eyes


This was something I'd only heard about
in fairy tales and books
I just had to creep up closer
to get a better look


As I gazed up on that creature
I soon fell under its spell
How long I stood there staring
I couldn't really tell


She was the color of snowflakes falling
on a moonlit winters night
as she pranced around a crystal pond
it was such a wondrous sight


Then suddenly she raised
her head up to the sky
and disappeared before me
in the twinkling of an eye


Where does reality end
and where does a myth begin
Some people don't believe it
but let me tell you friends


A long, long time ago
before you and I were born
lived that mythical, magical creature
the Snow White Unicorn


Chris Freeman

Back to Fossum's Rank - Click Here