Chapter twenty one

The next morning Wolf got up early to fill in the time he started doing his katas. First Wolf did unarmed and he went through all the katas at least once. As some were done when transitioning from different styles of fighting. Then Wolf went looking for a stick to practice his sword katas. Wolf ended up with the towel rack stick. He took it out from its holder and pulled it to its max length and then tightened it back up. It ended up being about three feet long and off Wolf went. Once Wolf finished the katas he got undressed, returned the towel rack stick to its place and took a shower. After the shower Wolf got dressed in something comfortable because they were leaving today.

Wolf was curious about where they would be going but Grandfather wouldn’t tell him.

So Wolf packed up what he had and left to go see what was going on in the kitchen. Wolf didn’t see Grandfather so he wrote a note that he was going to the dining room and to meet him there.

Wolf was early for breakfast and found a seat and watched as the tables were set up. Once everything was set up and the food was out Wolf got himself a plate. He put on the plate what he had for dinner except a bigger steak. Then he sat himself down in his seat and started eating. Some time later Grandfather showed up and sat himself down with some food and ate. After Grandfather ate they headed back to their rooms and got their stuff and checked out of the hotel and headed to the airport.

At the airport Wolf asked Grandfather where they were going.

“I was thinking of heading to the American heartland, specifically the state of Wyoming,” said Grandfather as they headed to a ticket desk.

From there it was through some security and to the gate. They waited there for a while and then first class was called for their flight. So Wolf and Grandfather got their bags and headed out to the tarmac. From there it was up the steps and finally on to the plane. Where they were shown their seats and helped with stowing their overhead luggage. Then it was just a matter of time to wait for the plane to take off.

About an hour into the flight the stewardess came around asking what we wanted from the menu for lunch.

I passed on the lunch. I wasn’t feeling it. The smells of the recycled air was making me feel uncomfortable. It was like I was in a can which I was without fresh air. Luckily the flight ended soon. But for the rest of the flight the only thing I could think about was never doing this again. I told Grandfather about not wanting to fly. He told me not to worry and he would make arrangements.

Once off the plane we picked up our bags and rented a car. Then Grandfather told me about the place we were going.

“It’s a ranch that a friend of mine owns and it has a guesthouse. We will stay there until you want to leave. Just a warning, it is a real ranch not like mine specifically it’s a cow farm. They raise cows and then sell them off. So try to be careful where you go. I don't need you getting trampled by a bull,” said Grandfather.

“I’ll be fine,” said Wolf.

Wolf

About an hour later we pulled up to the entrance to the farm. Grandfather drove to the house we would be staying at. We got out of the car and brought everything into the house. It was already late and I was hungry. Luckily there were some vegetables in the fridge and some pasta in a cabinet. So I made a salad and pasta for dinner. After cleaning up I unpacked, showered and went to bed.

The next morning I woke up to the sounds of the roosters crowing. I got out of bed and decided I would skip my katas for the day. I got dressed and went out to wait for Grandfather. A few minutes later he came down and told me we were going to get breakfast. We drove to the main house on the ranch. When we got there we knocked and went in. We made a right when we walked in and we were in the dining room. There was already one person sitting at the table.

“Wolf, let me introduce you to my friend Aiden Smith,” said Grandfather.

“Good morning Mr. Smith,” said Wolf.

“Come sit down, my cook is going to bring out the food in a minute,” said Aiden Smith.

Grandfather and Aiden started talking and a few minutes later the cook brought food. There was more than enough for the three of us. After breakfast we went out to the barn with Aiden. There Aiden gave us a horse and helped us get it tacked up. Once everything was secure we got on the horses and we started out of the barn. Once outside the barn I noticed a horse in a pen and just as quickly we were passed it.

“So where are we going,” asked Grandfather?

“You told me you wanted to see what it's like to live on a farm. Well today we are moving the cows to a new pasture,” said Aiden.

“What exactly does that entail,” asked Grandfather?

“Not much you gather up the cows and push them to the new pasture. That’s all you have to do well besides not letting any cows stay behind,” said Aiden.

So we rode the horses to the pasture the cows were in now. Then we followed Aiden around until he was done. After we finished I had a new appreciation for the farm workers and what they did to raise the cows. All of my muscles hurt from riding for so long convincing me there had to be a better way to ride.

We rode the horses back to the barn and again I saw that horse in the pen. Once we were off the horses we handed them off to some ranch hands.

“So Aiden what do you do now it’s only midday,” asked Grandfather?

“Now we will have a quick sandwich for lunch then we will check on the horses,” said Aiden.

After lunch we went with Aiden and checked on the horses. As we were coming back I decided to take advantage of the situation and ask about the horse in the pen.

“So what’s with the horse in the pen,” Wolf asked Aiden?

“It’s a horse I bought for the farm but it won’t let anyone saddle it. So until I can get it saddled I’m keeping it here in the pen,” answered Aiden.

“Could I stay and watch the horse,” I asked?

“Sure just don’t go in the pen, it's a very jumpy horse,” said Aiden.

While Aiden and Grandfather walked off Wolf went to the horse.

“So horse what is it that is so special about you,” asked Wolf of the horse?

Until Wolf spoke the horse was ignoring him doing its own thing. Once Wolf asked the horse what was so special about it the horse turned towards Wolf and started moving.

“So horse you understand me. That’s nice but the question is do I understand you,” asked Wolf as he rubbed the horse's head. “So what is it that makes you so jumpy? You look as calm as can be right now. How about we go for a walk? With that Wolf climbed over the gate and started walking.

Aiden was looking out his window when he saw Wolf climb over the fence. He rushed out to stop Wolf but when was able to see the pen again he stopped. There was Wolf with the horse following. Aiden went back in to tell Grandfather what he saw. When he told Grandfather what he saw, Grandfather didn’t look surprised at all.

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Wolf walked with the horse following him. This brought back feelings of having Jacob to follow him around and always feeling like he had a job, something to do.

As Wolf walked he began to understand what made this horse so special. It was that it didn’t need a halter to be led. It would follow and do what it was told once it knew how to do it. This horse didn’t like to be pushed into doing stuff it would do what it wanted with slight input from the rider. The rider had to understand that this was a partnership and if the horse didn’t trust the rider it would never work.

But this still left the question of what kind of horse it was. Wolf decided he would ask.

“So what kind of horse are you,” asked Wolf

With that the horse took off running as it neared the edge of the pen it turned and continued speeding up until it ran in a circle around the pen. On its next go around it slowed down then came back to Wolf.

“So you are a race horse. Let’s see if we can get you involved in horse racing,” said Wolf.

With that Wolf walked away and went back to the house. There he met Aiden and Grandfather. Where he told them about what he thought the horse would be good at and the requirements it would need. After that was dinner and then Wolf went back to the guest house with Grandfather.

Wolf and Grandfather stayed at the farm for another week and then left. Just like last time Grandfather wouldn’t tell Wolf where they were going. But at least Wolf was flying private.

“I have a question for you,” said Grandfather. “I have noticed now for the past week and a half that you have been going to meditate. Do you mind telling me about what you are trying to achieve,” asked Grandfather?

“It helps to keep me calm. Also I’m experimenting to see if I can expand my sensory awareness through meditation,” said Wolf

“How do you plan on expanding your sensory awareness with meditation,” asked Grandfather?

“By trying to concentrate and reach beyond what I can feel,” answered Wolf.

“How’s that going for you,” Grandfather asked?

“Not very good. The second I think I’m getting somewhere it all falls apart. It’s like I’m being played with,” said Wolf.

“The little I know about meditating is that you are supposed to clear your mind. Not concentrate on trying to expand you sensory awareness,” Grandfather said.

Just like that a light bulb went off in Wolf’s head. He was doing it all wrong; he was trying to concentrate on expanding his awareness. He had to let it come to him first then he would be able to experiment on getting to it on demand.

A few hours later they arrived in Hawaii. There they went to a hotel and got a room for a week with the option to extend depending on how it went. Once in their room they went to bed wiped out from traveling.

The next morning they went out for breakfast then headed back to the hotel.

“So what do you want to do today,” asked Grandfather.

“I would like to see the beach,” answered Wolf.

“That’s fine but we have to buy clothes first,” said Grandfather.

They went to a mall and went looking for a clothing store. There they purchased everything a local would need. This took a few hours and it was lunchtime. So they took their bags to the car and went looking for a diner. After lunch they went back to the hotel and unpacked.

“Put on something to wear on the beach so we could see what’s there,” said Grandfather.

Wolf put on a bathing suit and grabbed a towel and followed Grandfather out the door.

The beach was something that Wolf had never seen before. It was beautiful in a peaceful kind of way and Wolf loved it. The white sand beaches and blue water were pristine. There looking at the water he noticed people that were doing something and riding the waves somehow. This interested Wolf immensely and he wanted to try that.

“What are they doing on the water,” asked Wolf?

“They are surfing,” answered Grandfather. Come let’s see if there is someone that could teach you how to do it. I’m sure there is someone I could pay to teach you.

Grandfather found someone next to a surf shop and asked where he could get a lesson for Wolf. The guy behind the desk said he would call for an instructor.

“So what’s your name, fellow,” asked the instructor?

“My name is Wolf.

“Come on out and I will teach you how to surf”. There outside was a surfboard connected to some sort of contraption. “The first thing you need for surfing is balance so come on and get on the board and lay on your stomach. Ok now stand up on the board and let me see what we are going to have to correct,” said the instructor.

Wolf grabbed the board and jumped into a v then tried to stand up. When he let go he started wobbling and it only increased in power because of the springs on the training board. Then Wolf fell off and landed on the sand sending it flying.

“Ok nice try, but you made a few mistakes. The first one was grabbing the board. Don’t grab the board but put your hands flat against the board and do a push-up. You tried planting your feet first then standing up. Once you are all the way up on your palms and feet you are going to move the foot that you want to be in the middle of the board first. You are going to move this foot all the way forward and stop when it’s between your hands. Then you are going to stand up and try not to fall off the board,” said the instructor.

Wolf got back on the board and when he was ready he put his palms down and did a push up. Then brought one foot forward and stood up and tried not to fall. He was reminded of what Pakas told him when he was training him. “Balance is not something you try, it is something that is”. The point was the balance was something that either was there or it wasn’t the more you tried to be balanced the less you were. With this Wolf relaxed and bent his knees slightly and was able to stay on the board. After a minute on the board it started shaking. Wolf turned his head and there was the instructor holding a stick connected to the board.

“Why are you shaking the board,” Wolf asked?

“So you will get used to staying on the board when you are on a wave,” answered the instructor. A few minutes later the instructor stopped shaking the board and Wolf got off.

“Could you tell me what makes a great surfer,” asked Wolf?

“A great surfer is a surfer that can feel the waves. Someone who will know where the best waves will be. Will the best waves be closer to the beach or further from the beach? This understanding of the water is what makes a great surfer. It is said that some of the best surfers in the World can do this and it’s one of the things that makes them great,” said the instructor.

“Come Wolf we are going to be late for our reservation,” said Grandfather.

We went back to our room and took a shower got dressed in something nice for the restaurant.

“So what can I get you,” asked the waiter?

“Could we get the Hawaiian special Grandfather,” asked Wolf

“Let’s have the Hawaiian special,” said Grandfather.

“Drinks come with that so I will be back in a moment,” said the Waiter. A few minutes later the waiter came back. “Here is your drink, it is called a Hawaiian twist. It’s a tropical citrus mix and non-alcoholic.”

The first course came out a few minutes later and it was a poke bowl. It included salmon, tuna, rice with an assortment of vegetables and spices for flavor.

The next course was something called a luau stew. Again there were vegetables and this course was shredded pig instead of fish. When I smelled it when it came out of the kitchen it was like smelling something awesome. It had hints of banana and I smelled smoke. But it was like a lite touch of goodness infused into the air. My mouth was watering and I couldn’t wait to try it.

It was delicious and rich. I instantly understood why they served so much of it. It was so good I wanted more.

The next course was desert. For this they served coconut sorbet. It was a nice sweet ending to the delicious meal that I just had.

After dinner we went back to the hotel. I wanted to try out what the surfing instructor told me about feeling the waves. The only place I could do in the hotel room was the bathtub. So once we were back in our room I went and turned on the water to the temperature that I wanted. Then I left, went to my room, got undressed and took some clean clothes with me to the bathroom. When I got back to the tub it had enough water so I shut it off and got in.

Once I was comfortable in the tub I started to relax. Once I was relaxed I started clearing my mind in preparation for meditating. With my mind cleared I tried to feel the waves in the tub. I remembered what Grandfather told me about trying too hard. So I relaxed and tried to feel the flow of the waves. To go with the waves and be one with the waves. Slowly I started being able to feel the wave before it would crash into my body. It lasted for a second then it was gone. Once it was gone I tried again and it came just a bit easier and lasted just a bit longer. After the third time the water had cooled down so I got out and dried off. Then I took care of my nighttime routine and went to bed.