In today’s volume of my personal chronicles, we look at someone whom I’ve known for over thirty years. Our history goes all the way back to before either of us was born. Our families have known each other for the two generations that preceded us, and she and I grew up living on the same street. As we grew into adolescence, we not only became friends and built the most solid group of friends one could possibly ask for, we were also a couple for many years.
When my martial arts training kicked into high gear, MJ started joining me to classes. She developed great skill and was usually a challenging opponent during sparring. If you remember Volume 2 about JL that was posted just a few days ago, he could tell you without a doubt. She’s the only one I’ve ever seen to drop him to the ground during sparring. I’m not saying it never happened before or since; I’m just saying it was the only time I ever saw it. These days, MJ is extremely busy raising her children. Here’s what she had to say:
- Why did you join karate?
“I had an annoying boyfriend that kept bugging me to join, lol. But to be honest, it was the best thing I ever did.” - When did you join karate?
“I was 16 years old.” - How many years have you been training and are you still doing so>
“I trained for about three years when I was a teen and did a year after my daughters were born. Sensei said it was like I never left. We were very well-trained.” - What have you gained/hope to gain from karate?
“I’ve gained self-esteem and it gave me my beginning experiences in spirituality.”
I have to say, I definitely like the answer to the first question best. I’ll be the first one to admit that I was a significant handful to deal with during my teen years. But i can certainly be grateful that my youthful stubbornness helped MJ to find some benefit to everything we trained in. Everyone’s reasons for joining karate may be different. And everyone’s outcome may be different. the key point is to make a positive out of it. ☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 