I wanted to thank everyone for their help over the last few weeks in preparing for my 4th kyu test on the 26th. I studied Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for a year, and one of the things I noticed there was how everyone was centered on his own progress, with little regard for the growth of others. The sense of competition permeated the dojo. I don't mean to put other martial arts down; it is what it is. But here, even though only two of us were testing, others seemed to go out of their way to help me in my own practice -- maybe realizing that they too would grow through ukemi. People were patient, informative, and amazingly helpful. Without minimizing the help of all of you, I want to thank in particular Danny, Doug, and Victor for their sustained patience and encouragement. The sense of community was important to me. I don't think I've ever studied for anything as much in a long while, and I know that, if nothing else, I've developed even greater empathy for the students I have who struggle with a topic that comes easily to me. Again, thanks to everyone.
Tom
I want to echo Tom's comment. My understanding came together for my test Saturday only because of everyone's patience. In particular, I want to thank Andy, Chelsea, Mike, Jim and Peter. (This may be as close to an Oscar acceptance speech I will ever make.)
ReplyDeleteA few weeks ago, Sensei asked for volunteers to record their feelings about aikido for potential students. When asked, “What is aikido?” I stared at the running camera, blinked into the light, and said something eminently forgettable. Since then, I have had time to reflect on that question, and believe I have a better answer:
At a Sunday school class I attended long ago, we discussed how we would know when God was talking to us. Most people thought it would involve clouds parting and a voice reverberating through the heavens. Instead, the Bible passages suggested it would be like a whisper riding on the wind--you had to be working hard and paying attention or you would miss it. Now, I think aikido is that whisper riding on the wind. You have to be working hard and paying attention to hear it.