Author: Shawn

I am a practitioner of the martial arts and student of the Buddhist faith. I have been a Type 1 Diabetic since I was 4 years old and have been fighting the uphill battle it includes ever since. I enjoy fitness and health and looking for new ways to improve both, as well as examining the many questions of life. Although I have no formal medical training, I have amassed a wealth of knowledge regarding health, Diabetes, martial arts as well as Buddhism and philosophy. My goal is to share this information with the world, and perhaps provide some sarcastic humour along the way. Welcome!

A Stroll Down The Dojo Memory Lane…

I was communicating with one of my readers and fellow bloggers yesterday (you know who you are) when I was reminded of my old dojo. Not “my old dojo” as in, where I used to train. No, I mean “my old dojo” as in, where I used to TEACH. That’s right, most of you know I practice karate by virtue of mentioning it in almost every post (did y’all know I practice karate?). But many of you may not have known that for a short time, I actually had my own dojo open. Some may assume that having practiced martial arts for over three decades, it would only make sense that I had a school open. But the reality is that teaching is a very particular beast and one that not every practitioner undertakes. In fact, I’ve known some fellow black belts who have been studying as long or longer than I have and have never taught. It happens.

At some point, a couple of years before I joined the Force, Sensei received an influx of requests for children to join the club. Although we accepted anyone who wished to learn, our teachings were a bit strict and rough for some younger children and Sensei thought that opening a second, separate dojo would be a good idea. With three current black belts (besides Sensei) currently training in the main dojo, it was agreed that I would undertake the project and take in these new students. I would come to understand years later that it might have been more productive to have a younger practitioner attend to the kids’ dojo, since they would “potentially” be more in tune with their students needs. But I was being offered a chance to open my own dojo and I leapt at the chance.

I was pretty excited to get to the dojo that night and even more excited to see how many students I would have coming in the door. More than a dozen children of varying ages were waiting for me with their parents nearby. It was a pretty slow first night, considering I had to cover off the basics and discuss dojo etiquette, as well as get all the kids registered through their parents and get certain forms filed out, etc… I still felt it went well and I was looking forward to the next class. Honestly, that first week flew by without too much difficulty and I thought I had found a niche in the form of teaching these young students. I would discover soon after that I was wrong…

You see, there’s a HUGE difference between the concept of teaching adults and teaching children. I’ve taught adults a LOT in my three decades of karate. For the most part, when an adult walks into a dojo they’re choosing to be there. I mean, I suppose it COULD happen that an adult would join karate because they’re being told to do so but I’ve never seen it. One can also expect that they’ll join for a number fo specific reasons relating to their health, weight-loss, wanting to learn a new skill or defend themselves. With children, they usually fall under two categories: they asked to be join or they are being MADE to be there by their parents. The unfortunate reality is that the majority fall under the latter category.

Another issue that I’ve noticed is that when you get an adult who joins and wants to learn, they’ll usually do everything and anything that’s required of them, even if they consider it boring or stale. Children don’t jive with that concept. In fact, for the majority of kids the curriculum needs to be kept dynamic and exciting. It needs to be fun or their eyes will start glazing over and you’ll “lose the crowd.” This is especially true of those kids whose parents have forced them to join and didn’t want to be there in the first place. It wasn’t my cup of tea but I could have learned and adjusted to this concept, given enough time. It turned out to be the parents who did me in…

After the dojo had been open for a period of time, some of my students were ready to start grading for their yellow stripes. For any non-practitioners out there, my style carries a yellow belt but for most students, the yellow belt is reserved for children and young practitioners who need room on their belt for growth over a number fo years more than their adult counterparts. Long story short, since I had never issued grading before, this was done under the supervision of my Sensei. Unlike many other schools out there, our students don’t have the luxury of testing simply by virtue of the amount of time they’ve been with the dojo. It needs to be a combination of how long you’ve been training, attendance and actual proficiency in the required techniques.

By virtue of this, not all of my newly-acquired white belts were tested for their first yellow stripe that night. While Sensei assisted in grading the students, I kept the ones who wouldn’t be testing busy. I know had a ranking system within my dojo, which should have been a good thing. Seniority can be an important aspect of karate, especially when taught in the Western world. This is because it gives the other students someone to lean on and aspire to besides the Sensei. I thought things were going significantly well for the next couple of weeks despite the fact that I certainly wasn’t made for “having fun” in the dojo. I had fun training, learning karate was fun in and of itself, but playing games and having a loud, boisterous class was weighing on me as it didn’t fit into the neat, compartmentalized image of karate that I had developed in my head.

Then, a cauldron of resentment and jealousy began to rear its ugly head as the parents of a few select students caught me before the start of class to discuss why their child hadn’t received a yellow stripe like many of the others had. I made the mistake of indicating that it was because they hadn’t been tested, which I thought would explain things. Much like a doctor who will explain something medical with the plain idea that it would explain everything, I assumed that provided an adequate answer. Instead, it added fuel to the fire in the form that the parents demanded to know WHY their children hadn’t been tested. Letting them know that they hadn’t yet acquired the level of skill required to grade for their stripe did nothing to assuage their concerns.

Within the next couple of weeks, I had a number of parents basically threaten to remove their child from the dojo if I didn’t give them a yellow stripe. This is actually a phenomenon that happens among child and adult practitioners. Some adults are pretty good at becoming petty and failing to realize that just because one has been training as long as a counterpart, it doesn’t mean you’re ENTITLED to the same belt. I had always made a silent promise to myself that a student would never receive a grading unless they’d earned it. I’m proud to say I’ve kept that promise, but it came at a cost. Once I explained that a student would not be tested for any grading until they had developed skill that would justify the rank, I began losing students. Within the next calendar month, the number of students I held and their dwindling attendance became almost non-existent.

Once it became abundantly clear that it was beginning to cost me more to run the dojo than I was making, I had to make the difficult decision to close my doors. Sensei was understandably not happy with this, but I didn’t feel I could bring myself to compromise my values and the value of the art I practiced JUST to satisfy the parents belief that “I’m paying, so you work for me,” or the jealousy their children may have felt at seeing their peers receive rank where they didn’t. I think it speaks to an ever-increasing concept of self-entitlement that the world has been developing for decades. In traditional karate, there are no participation trophies. You don’t get rewarded JUST for showing up. You want the belt, you gotta do the work.

Ultimately, I closed the doors of my dojo and we were able to absorb some of the kids into the main dojo (the ones who wanted to stick it out to learn and grow). Back then, I had often juggled with whether it was a good experience or a bad one, a good choice or a terrible one. The decision I finally came to was that there really aren’t any BAD experiences; it’s all in how we interpret them and what we learn from them. But I’ve come to learn that this is the direction the world has taken. People feel they’re entitled as opposed to working towards earning. And although I’ll be the first to admit that you gotta show up, you also gotta do the work. I would never attempt or continue to teach someone otherwise.

I never opened another dojo, after that. It was a combination of how the first one had gone down, mixed with the fact that once I joined the Force, I was transferring every few years, which I felt would be unfair to any practitioner who walked into my dojo. How bad would it suck to have someone commit themselves to my style, only to have me say, “Sorry, guys. Duty calls and I’m moving away…” only a few years into their training? That wouldn’t be fair to someone who genuinely wants to learn a style. But it also serves an important lesson to anyone looking to get into karate. If you walk into a dojo and the focus is money and EVERYBODY grades and passes when there’s testing, it may not be the school for you. I prefer to have closed my dojo than teach a watered-down version of my art to accommodate the ones who feel entitled. This is how an art remains true and pure. Food for thought… ☯️

An Interesting Perspective…

I found the above illustration a short while ago and it spoke to me. I like how the illustrations shows the giant carrying everything material on his back and is attempting to scoop up pieces of nature to keep “feeding the machine.” At least, that how I’M interpreting it… And if you look closely enough, you’ll see a person, presumably human, stand beneath the giant firing an arrow up at it, suggesting that not all people are the same as what this short message indicates.

I don’t believe myself to be perfect in any way, shape or form and I can honestly say that I see myself in some of the things I write about. But i see some of the truth in this illustration with how one need only to step out their front doors to see everyone who isn’t actively behind the wheel of a car (and a few who are) with their faces firmly buried in the screen of a smart device. People associate success with the accumulation of things, instead of the accumulation of memories and experiences, which is a shame since life has far more to contribute than how big your house is, or how expensive your car is. Food for thought… ☯️

An Update…

It’s a snowy, Saturday morning here in Regina but the good news is the boys actually let my wife and I sleep in until 9:30, this morning. I never thought I’d reach a point in my life where that was considered “sleeping in,” but here we are, hence the lateness of this post going up. Considering we usually try to get the whole family to go out on Saturdays for whatever errands we may need to run, I’ll try to keep this brief.

Since it’s been two weeks and I’ve actually registered, I am now an attending student of Midwest Karate. There, I have begun studying Shotokan, which is also an Okinawan style of karate, featuring many turns, stances and hands positions that I find myself unfamiliar with. It’s a rich style and although I missed a couple of classes last week due to Diabetic difficulties, it’s been challenging and I haven’t had a class yet where I don’t break a sweat.

Since I was actually looking for a challenge, this dojo seems to be a good fit. What’s more, the senior students appear to be interested in learning some of my forms and techniques as well, making for a good exchange of philosophies. So who knows? If we stay in Regina for the next decade or more, I may just get my wish and learn a new style from scratch. Time will tell, I suppose. After all, life rarely cares about ones plan. ☯️

Cookie Cutters Should Stay In The Kitchen

If you look back about fifty years, society had certain expectations from a person. Hell, even just thirty or twenty years back will let you see it. In general, a person was expected to study, work hard, get a job, meet that special someone, buy a house, get married and have kids. Raise those kids to do the same, wash, rinse and repeat ad nauseam.

During my mother’s generation, schooling didn’t need to be completed in order to have a successful life, with many dropping out in early high school in favour of getting a job and starting their lives early. Such a thing isn’t COMPLETELY unheard of now, but it’s discouraged and even frowned upon in most instances, with even the simplest and lowest paying jobs requiring a high school diploma at minimum in order to be hired.

Why is this important and why am I bringing it up? Well, it relates to a phenomenon that’s caused a shift in societal view in recent decades. Although the expectation in the past couple of decades is that a person will not only attend school but see it through to graduation, there was a rising wave of belief that post-secondary education was the most valuable route to a successful life. That wave has crested and fallen in recent years, with many people acknowledging that a college diploma or university degree isn’t the “be all, end all” of a successful life.

Along with this changed perspective comes the enlightened view that not all persons learn in the same way. Some are visual learners, some need to practice and exercise the material themselves while others simply need to hear something once to absorb it. I think we can all admit to being a little jealous of the latter. The point is, that learning institutions are slowly coming around to the fact that one can’t expect to deliver a single curriculum to three dozens individuals and expect that they’ll absorb it the same way. Many schools have started to incorporate some of this forward thinking into adaptive learning for the students who may struggle or show difficulty in certain environments.

This also applies to the martial arts. Over the decades, I’ve come to understand that not all practitioners are created equal and not all students will learn the entire curriculum the same way. If we apply this principal to class in general, we come to realize that one-on-one learning with some personalization becomes necessary in order for the practitioner not only to learn the material but to apply it properly. Depending on the size and style of a given dojo, this presents SOME difficulty, although there are always alternatives.

When I was coming up in the ranks, it was common that most students wanted a piece of Sensei’s time. After all, he was the patriarch of the dojo, had “been there, done that” decades before any of us had, and was the image of the kind of martial artist we all aspired to be. But getting some time with him was usually difficult when held up against actually starting the class, teaching and coaching all the students and the awkward ask of having him stay on after hours for some additional coaching. All things considered, Sensei often did this for me and a number of other students.

Considering I never paid more than $25 for a karate class in my life, it was pretty generous of him when you consider that he was basically teaching us for free and our monthly tuition barely covered the month’s rent on the dojo. But there was one concept he maintained that was sound: I would never be allowed to move on to the next step until I had mastered the current one, which is likely why reaching senior belt levels took well over a decade as opposed to just a few years like some other dojos.

School teachers face an interesting challenge because students are generally MADE to go to school, whereas the majority of students in karate are there by choice. This makes teaching them somewhat easier, despite frustrations faced when dealing with aspects of training a particular students dislikes. If I take myself as an example, I was always more of a forms guy than a sparring guy. I never really enjoyed the fighting aspect, preferring the careful, meditative nature of a well-performed kata. So, Sensei trained me as such.

It’s important to tailor one’s curriculum to how the student will learn, and to help ensure that they absorb it, as opposed to force a cookie cutter curriculum to an entire group, expecting that everyone will learn it. Work on one thing at a time. yes, it’ll be slow as hell, but it ensures the roper progression of a student. It’s better for a practitioner to learn and absorb one technique properly and completely, than to learn very little of the entire art. Food for thought… ☯️

He Still Surprises Me…

I was running an errand at a local retail outlet and I had decided to bring Nathan along for the ride. He can be a bit tedious upon his arrival from school, antagonizing his 2-year old brother and usually causing friction within the household with his energy levels. By bringing him with me, I hoped to mitigate that a bit. At least until supper could be served and the boys would be seated with food for a time. So, we took off for the store to pick up a couple of things.

The ride was pretty uneventful and Nathan wasn’t chatty besides asking me to turn on some music, which I gladly obliged. We parked in our usual spot against the outer edge of the parking lot, which faces a large, open field. Once we were completely parked, Nathan commented on the fact that there was some trash in the snow at the edge of the parking lot. I acknowledged what he was seeing and he asked me why people throw trash on the ground instead of in the garbage receptacles. Not wanting to imply that every situation is something negative, I suggested that the high winds we have in Saskatchewan may have been the culprit as it could have blown stray refuse across the field to get stuck in the snow.

Once we were out of the car, he told me that some people are bad and throw trash on the ground. he went on to explain that we need to take care of the planet and that trash shouldn’t be on the ground. I watched with a mixture of pride and awe as my 7-year old son, who can barely manage to perform even the simplest of chores without complaining, wandered the snow and grabbed his fill of stray cans, bottles and trash. His arms full, he looked at me and said, “Okay, let’s go!” I watched as we walked towards the entrance of the building and he dumped all the refuse he had collected into a garbage can.

I congratulated him on doing something good and I couldn’t keep the surprise out of my voice. My compliment earned me a look of disdain as Nathan boldly informed me that I could have picked up an armful of refuse as well. Little bastard. Nothing worse than complimenting someone, only to have them throw it in your face. In any event, I’m not sure if he learned this behaviour from school or if another source planted the idea in his head. I was mildly ashamed of the fact that I’ve never really discussed the environment with him, but I was happy with the perspective he held. We should all be that enlightened. ☯️

An Empire State Of Mind

Despite the fact that I make a real effort to have something posted every day (I’m close to 700 consecutive posts), finding material to post about can sometimes be a bit challenging. I can only bitch about the pitfalls and difficulties surrounding Diabetes so much, otherwise y’all would likely be of the opinion that I’m only ever negative. Which is not the case, by the way.

So today, I thought I’d keep things simple and simply write about something fun. Telling stories is as much a part of blogging as providing information, after all. In 2001, I had the opportunity to o travel to Japan and Okinawa with Sensei and a few other members of our dojo. It was the trip of a lifetime and even though I make a point of never living with regrets, I can honestly admit that I always wished I could have gone back, considering Sensei has been back almost a dozen times in the past twenty years.

Although I could fill a book with all the little details surrounding that trip, I wanted to focus on the aspect of our first stop on the way to the land of the rising sun: New York. The trip started in the very wee hours of the morning, with a drive into Quebec where we took a short-term flight from Mont-Joli to Quebec City. From there, we travelled to Montreal and then New York. All the bunny-hopping apparently made the overall trip less expensive.

Despite how tired and sleepy I was, I couldn’t contain the absolute excitement I felt at landing in New York. Besides the locals boasting being the greatest city in the world, I had spent most of my life seeing the city featured in television, movies and just about everything else. I had to seriously convince myself that Japan was the destination and that I couldn’t STAY in New York. We booked into a nice hotel in Manhattan and took to the streets.

Never one to pay for anything he didn’t need to, Sensei had us walk to a local neighbourhood that served traditional Japanese food. It was absolutely delicious and Sensei’s thinking was that it would start getting us into the groove for where we were headed. Then, we walked to the Empire State Building. Considering that up to that point, I had spent the entirety of my life in Northern New Brunswick and never travelled much past the Province of Quebec, I was on sensory overload and about as giddy as a teen girl who just won the cheer competition.

We purchased tickets to access the building and took an elevator ride that felt like forever. When we stepped out onto the observation deck, I was taken aback at how high I was and the amazing view that was spread out before me. The sun had just about set, and there was just a thin sliver of light on the horizon. Then, another site caught my eyes… I looked southward and saw a massive cloud of dust, lit up by powerful spotlights.

It was mid-October of 2001 and what I was looking at was the former site of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers. Even a month after their collapse, a heavy cloud of dust was still hanging in the air and could be visibly seen from two dozen miles away. It snapped me back to reality in the sense that it was my first time witnessing something terrible that I had only heard about through the media.

But I was talking about how I’m not always negative in the opening paragraph, so let’s get back to the trip as a whole, shall we? I stepped up to the protective fencing around the edge of the building and looked down. Big mistake. I was hit by a sense of vertigo that I can’t really explain. I’m not afraid of heights, but the height I was standing at made it look like I was staring straight down ABOVE the street, which obviously doesn’t make sense. But the perspective was freaky,

Once I was done trying to induce vomiting, we left the building and decided to hop a bus to get back to our hotel. Like something out of a bad comedy movie, we somehow took a bus in the wrong direction and ended up in Harlem. Some friendly and helpful locals were nice enough to direct us to the correct bus line and we were on our way. Despite doing the lost tourist thing, we made it back to our hotel in one piece.

We spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the hotel’s pool area. It would have been nice to explore Manhattan a bit more, see the Statue of Liberty, Central Park or one of many world-renowned museums located within the district. But after along day of flights and our adventures throughout the earlier hours, it felt nice to kick back and relax. The next day would see us board a 14-hour flight to Japan. Sleep was welcomed, especially in light of the adventures to come. ☯️

It’s Not Me, It’s You…

People can be cruel. I don’t think that’s a grand revelation, by any means but there’s definitely something to be said for how we, as a people, treat each other on a daily basis. Matters have been aggravated in recent decades with the inclusion of social media and the internet. As I’ve often voiced before, having the world’s information at one’s fingertips has some potential negative connotations.

I spent SOME time wandering the realm of social media as it often provides me with ideas on what i can blog about and I notice that people will often comment on things negatively, rather than simply scroll on by. This is perplexing to me, as I’ve always been taught that if you have nothing nice to say, you should say nothing at all. It boggles the mind how some folks will reach out and complain about even the most insignificant of things, often for the sole purpose of inciting hate or anger.

The kind of energy you put out into the world is contagious. One might almost say it’s insidious… working it’s way into other people that you direct said energy at. If you put out negative energy, it will incite negativity. And if you put out positive energy, it’ll likely have a positive effect. To moist, this concept makes sense, despite the fact that they will sometimes go on a rant or tirade that will adversely affect others.

The other side of the coin in this situation, is the fact that people will react in different ways to different things and that positive/negative energy will be absorbed as such. one good example is within the workplace. If one gets a “good job” from someone, most people will be motivated and feel positive from it. But if one is given corrective feedback or correction on something they’ve worked on or done, they’ll be inclined to feel slighted, belittled or insulted for being corrected on something they’ve done.

This brings about the concept that one can only control what one says and not how the other party reacts to it. however, it’s important to recognize that you’re ultimately responsible for the TYPE of energy you release into the world and whether or not you choose to make it positive. It’s easy to admit that there’s enough negativity and suffering in the world without intentionally adding to it. Maybe your don’t need to name-call that person online. Maybe you don’t need to comment on every little thing you don’t agree with. It’s okay to be wrong. It’s okay not to agree. But it’s also okay to let things go. You’ll be happier for it. Food for thought. ☯️

Snowy Saturday Sliding…

I’m not a big fan of snow or the winter. Besides the pleasure of sitting in front of a window during a snowy episode with a hot drink or a stiff one, adult usually means that snow brings shovelling, trouble starting one’s car, difficulty getting into work or being cold while outside. That being said, there’s something to be said for being outside when the weather is mild, enjoying the crisp air and winter scenery. Last Saturday, Nathan and I had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours ripping down a small hill located in our neighbourhood.

Nathan was lucky to have this ski-based sled as a Christmas gift from his uncle Jayden. For almost a month, it’s been sitting in our newly-renovated basement space with Nathan sitting on it to eat and watch Netflix, dreaming of the day he would be able to rip down a slope with it. With recent temperatures getting as low as -50 degrees Celsius with the wind factor, it’s been difficult to get Nathan or even myself, outside for any extended period of time. But Saturday showed a cold of only -4 degrees with some sunny conditions. So we were good to go and not a day too soon.

We arrived at a site in northern Regina called Mount Pleasant, which has been groomed and is the location of dozens of people who were sledding as well. Nathan was a champ, dragging his sled up the hill himself with every run. I also brought along a crazy carpet that our neighbour donated to Nathan a couple of months ago. I took advantage of the opportunity to take a few rips down the slope but it was quite a different experience from what I recall in my youth. My added age and weight made it so that I essentially felt every lump and hole on the slope. It was actually a bit painful, although I enjoyed the experience.

After a few runs, I let Nathan have at it while I stayed at the top of the hill and chatted with some of the other parents. Despite the mild temperature, a cold wind started to whip through and make it difficult to stay warm. Nathan was having a blast, so I sucked it up. I also couldn’t help but enjoy the scenery, as the hill allowed for a very nice view of the city of Regina (pictured above). Some of the other parents were well prepared, having brought hot drinks, water bottles for the kids and sporting thermal snow pants and such. I had a pair of long underwear under cotton pants, since I have no snow pants.

As kids are usually inclined to, Nathan befriended a couple of young boys and they traded sleds back and forth so that everyone had the opportunity to try out different ways to go down the slope. Nathan also tried out the crazy carpet, which was entertaining since there’s no way to steer that thing so one is more inclined to wipe out while sliding. Nathan had a blast whipping down the hill and tumbling as he went.

Winter can be a challenge, since the cold and inclement weather can have the unfortunate effect of making people turn into hermits and stay indoors. It was definitely good to get outside and spend some time in the fresh air, even if I was shivering towards the end. It was also important to let Nathan run wild outside for a bit. Kids don’t do very well when they’re cooped up for too long. Although Nathan has the opportunity to spend every morning outside when he walks to school, it isn’t quite the same as getting outside to run and play.

Last but not least, since Diabetes is an ever-present consideration in everything I do, there had to be some blood sugar involvement. I’ve noticed that cold weather usually drops my blood sugar levels significantly. I did suffer a low while we were at the hill but I was prepared with some fast-acting carbohydrates, so it was a non-issue. It’s simply a reminder of the constant need to stay on my guard. We had a lot of fun and a huge thank you goes out to my friend Jayden, Nathan’s uncle, for such a wonderful gift. I know Nathan is looking forward to going back and using his sled further. ☯️

Spectators Have A Role…

As the father of two young boys, nothing would make me prouder than attending a sports event or extra-curricular activity to watch my kids in action. And I know that day is no doubt coming. Although Nathan i 7-years old, he hasn’t actively expressed any interest in sports or outside hobbies beyond playing with me, at home. But I’m sure it’ll happen eventually. It would be all the better if he joined me at karate, but I don’t believe it would be constructive to push him into that.

However, there are a lot of parents who DO attend karate classes to watch their children. And although some of it can appear dry or boring to a non-practitioner, adhering to dojo etiquette is almost as important (if not more so) for the parents and observers as it is for the children and practitioners who are part of the class. After all, those children and practitioners are looking to their parents and visitors as an example of how to behave, right? Here are some key points to remember when visiting a dojo as a non-practicing observer:

1. Remove Your Shoes: Okay, I get it… You’re not participating and the thought of removing your footwear in a public space isn’t for everyone. The takeaway here is that the removal of footwear within a karate dojo is not only a sign of respect but also a matter of cleanliness for the dojo. If it happens to be a rainy or snowy day or you simply drag mud and/or dirt in from outside, your causing an issue for the practitioners who NEED to be barefoot in the dojo environment;
2. No Food Or Drink: Although this one obviously makes sense for the students and practitioners, observers don’t usually give it much thought. But even though the thought of sipping on your favourite mocha-choca-latte with skim milk and non-fat foam while your child trains may seem like a reasonable idea, not only is the potential for spills and messes a bad idea, the smell of food can be incredibly distracting to someone who’s working hard at their training;
3. Get Off Your Device: Look, be in the now! If you’re there to observe your kids, then observe your kids. That game of candy crush can wait until later. Be respectful enough to pay attention and be present for your child or whomever you may be visiting with/for. If it’s a phone call and it’s necessary to answer it immediately, have the respect to excuse yourself out of the dojo to answer it, which brings me to my next point;
4. Keep Noise And Idle Chatter To A Minimum: This one is a personal pet peeve of mine and should go without saying but since I’m here I’m gonna say it, since some folks don’t seem to understand. Quiet while observing a karate class is a must, not only from a respect standpoint but from a training one, as well. Not only does karate require a certain level of focus and concentration, which can be broken by the distraction of a couple of Karens trying to decide who’s voice can reach the highest volume but it can be difficult to properly hear instructions AND is incredibly disrespectful. Conversation among the observers should be saved for outside the dojo, for break periods (if your dojo has them) or for after class; and
5. Be Respectful In All Things: I get it. Even if your kid is in this class or you’re visiting a friend or family member who’s a participant, this world may not be yours and it can be confusing and the rules may not be clear. That’s why it’s not only important to ask but once you know for certain, be respectful and follow those rules. Be seated only where you’re told you can sit and do no more than what you’re told you can do. Respect for the dojo and maintaining the ambiance of the environment can be critical for proper training.

Every school of martial arts is different and even two schools of karate may have different rules and protocols, so don’t be afraid to ask questions. There’s nothing more embarrassing than getting kicked out of your 5-year old’s karate class because you decided to answer the phone and laugh loudly while chatting with someone DURING class. Not that I’m speaking from experience… Jus’ sayin’. But by clarifying the rules from the get-go, you can better ensure that you won’t cause unnecessary distractions or disrespect the rules of an art that holds respect as one of its core values. ☯️

What Goes Up Must Come Down, Then Go Back Up Again!

Although it’s taken me years to do so, I’ve slowly come to realize that making exceptions and changing up daily routines often isn’t worth it. And yes, this is going to be a bit of a rant about a Diabetic issue, so buckle up. This realization struck me in the face like a snowball with a rock in the middle, last Wednesday night.

I got home at about 9 pm after an excellent karate class. I felt good, my blood sugars were in normal range and I guzzling water and electrolytes to stave off the easy and slippery dehydration that tends to sneak up on me when I train. Although I had some writing and studying to do, my wife mentioned she would not be working any later that night and asked if I wanted to watch a couple of episodes of something. I obliged.

A little after 10 pm, my wife headed off to bed, which is what I would have typically done, as well. But I had laundry going and since I had another karate class the following day, I wanted to make certain my gi was clean. So I told her to go ahead and crash and I’d be joining in a little while, once I had laundry completed. As luck would have it, I got into watching some Star Trek (don’t judge) and got laundry done, getting my head on the pillow at about half past midnight.

Considering I wake up anywhere between 5:30 to 6 am, this wasn’t the brightest move, since it would only allow of drive or six hours of sleep. I made my peace with, convinced that I was reaching the end of my week and that I could get away with the loss of a few hours’ sleep by supplementing with caffeine and staying busy at work. My dark passenger (Diabetes) had other plans…

My wife got up at about 2 am, as she has this system where she starts her work from home before everyone else has woken up. Good for her, but I’m not down for that bullshit. In fact, my years as a police officer taught me to appreciate being able to stay firmly in my bed until morning. But about thirty minutes after she vacated the bed, my pump went off. 3.9 mmol/L. Fan-fucking-tactic. I scarfed a dozen jellybeans I had at the side of my bead and closed my eyes.

At about 3:15 in the morning, my pump went off again. 3.7 mmol/L. Not only had the jellybeans not raised my blood sugars, they were continuing to drop. Not good. I wolfed down the remainder of the jellybeans I had in the bag, which was a little more than a dozen, and tried to go back to sleep. I got to almost half past four when my pump started blaring an alarm at me and display a sensor glucose of 2.9 mmol/l!

What the hell was happening??? My blood sugars were in normal range when I finally hit the sheets. The only thing I could think of, is that I usually have a small snack in the evenings but that night, I chose not to. Maybe that would have been enough to cause my blood sugars to drop? I staggered out to the kitchen, since I had exhausted my jellybean supply and found my wife still working away at the table.

I gulped down a couple of packages of grapefruit segments and about two cups of Froot Loops before passing out once again. When I woke up at 6 am with my alarm, I felt like I had been struck by a freight train. When I checked my pump, I was reading at over 20.0mmol/L. Of course, I was… I had apparently overdone it and my blood sugars slingshot to the other end of the spectrum. I spent the next four hours of my day, slowly reducing my blood sugars and bringing them back to normal.

You may be asking, why am I telling you all of this, besides to bitch about the difficulties surrounding Type-1 Diabetes? It’s simply to show that even when the waters are calm, there’s always the potential for rough currents beneath the surface, In this case, despite having normal blood sugar levels and everything appearing normal, it didn’t take much to send me into a rollercoaster ride of bad readings. Maybe next time, I should stick to my routine and have a snack before bed. Food for thought…(pun intended). ☯️