On Thursday we at Silent River kung fu lost a true friend. Travis Panasiuk was one of the most dedicated students I've ever met. I admired him immensely.
Some of you may remember my posting back in the spring about how Mr. Panasiuk performed a three sectional staff form at our Tiger challenge tournament. I was so impressed by his guts as well as his technique. I never would have dreamed of attempting something like that as a yellow belt. That was the kind of person Travis was, he didn't seem to be afraid of looking foolish, he was just so excited about learning kung fu that he'd try anything. I am trying to be more like that.
I remember seeing him at lion dance practice way back and being surprised to see such a new student pushing himself so much. Travis loved kung fu so much that he took every opportunity to train that was available to him. San sou, open training, lion dance, demos, you name it, he was there. He didn't just train though, he volunteered and gave as much as he could to this school. He was there constantly during renovations and doing anything he could to help. I was fortunate to spend an entire day with him last Friday during the day. We talked and got to know each other better. He was really funny and intelligent. I am so grateful that we had that time alone together, I am a better person from having known him.
A few weeks ago Danielle invited me to see a play with her and Travis. We had a really good time and after the show we walked and talked. It was the only time I ever hung out with him outside of kung fu and it was a lot of fun. I wish now that I'd done more of that. I feel like I was just getting to know him and appreciate him as a person, not just as an awesome student. What I did learn about him though was that he was easy going, passionate, and funny. We shared a nerdy interest in anime and had a good time comparing notes and recommending a few to each other. I'm glad we had that connection, however brief.
Travis was on the fast track to black belt and put the rest of us to shame with his work ethic. The other day I was feeling lazy and unenthusiastic about kung fu. I was wondering how I could re-ignite the spark. After hearing about Travis' accident, I feel ashamed that someone so passionate is now gone and I am feeling mopey and sorry for myself. I will strive to embody as much as I can of his dedication when I approach my kung fu. Anything less would be disrespectful to his memory.
A friend offered me some comforting words last night. He said that when someone so good is taken away from us so young, perhaps they are needed elsewhere to inspire even more people. Though it is painful to say good bye, Travis helped us all a lot and my thoughts are with him wherever he is now.
2 comments:
Thank you for keeping his memory alive. He was the best of us.
Hey Brandi,
I respect how you are handling the loss of your friend, it's a hard thing and i wish you well. I finally got a chance to write back to the bloggers, I've been thinking about you and your trip to China and hope all plans are going awesome!! I'm loving it here, it's good for the spirit to be somewhere new. All the best
T
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