Gasshuku

I don't know what we'll be working on tonight but I have been studying and practicing gekisei dai ichi kata all day. I hope we will do some conditioning because I haven't done much all weekend in terms of serious athletic work.

Sensei Nakamura and Sensei Villa visited our dojo this weekend, along with other incredible people from around the world.

When I was invited to practice among them I thought carefully, and decided that although it would be an enormous privilege, as a white belt I could do more for the dojo in service than in karate practice. So I charged up my camera and took 700+ photos. Hopefully everyone got a meaningful photo for their scrapbooks.

A dinner banquet was held on Saturday night at a Greek restaurant. Julie joined me and I had a good view of the head table, where our guests sat, as did Sensei Tony. Seeing him practice as a student reminds me that teachers are also students. 

Everyone I have met is far more gentle than the Bruce Lee stereotype. Kindness and respect trump all other connections we have with one another.

It's still very early in the game for me, but I have really taken to karate. It is always about what I can achieve as an individual. No one is ridiculed or disrespected for being less than an expert. Quite the opposite is true, I have exchanged at least a smile with everyone else! The fact that I am still writing these assessment-style reflections suggests that I am really dumbstruck by the warmth of karateka. I've just never taken on any physically social activity in my life, so it's very new! At my age it should really be old hat, but for many reasons this is my first go. And I love it!

I had to help my precious cat, Figaro, go to heaven over the weekend. There is nothing more we could have done here and I won't let creatures suffer.  As I watched the blood drain from his paws while he flushed from pink to white I learned that my no-suffering rule is a compassionate strength; I have been through so much loss that I'm used to saying goodbye, especially to the sick. Sometimes comfort is all I can offer. For my little kitty, I could offer a little bit more, and let him go from his pained body.

I got Figaro when I was 19 and he was the closest thing I'll ever get to being young and carrying a child.  In spite of my little baby's departure I didn't waste a moment of life with him and it makes me feel good about my own character. That reflection helped me get through all the social interaction at the banquet. That is, if I were wretched, I could not have raised such a beautiful creature that "dog people" are still writing and calling to tell me that my Figo changed their minds about cats. Of course I wish he had lived longer than ten years, but those years were awesome. I miss that stinker and his kisses.

This entry is a bit rambly, but not every swing of the bat is a home run. Off to rest, and then to the dojo!

Be well.