The black belt test yesterday

[pegkerr]

As I think I mentioned, we went to see the quarterly city-wide black belt test yesterday because our senior sensei was testing for fifth degree. Actually, three men were testing for fifth degree. To give you an idea of how big a deal this was, they each had to study at least eighteen years to get to that point. National Karate has promoted about thirty-two hundred men, women and children to the rank of black belt first degree in the last thirty-eight years. These three men testing for fifth degree were only (I think they said) the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth persons to reach this degree of rank in the entire history of the organization. Watching them was just stunning. For form, they did a simultaneous choreographed Japanese sword form. For self defense, they demonstrated defending themselves against two attackers, armed with knife, club and/or gun (our sensei demonstrated taking them both out, starting seated in a chair).

I don't think I'll ever be that good at anything. Or if I am, I haven't found it yet.

What I did today to make the world a better place: Went to the last preparation meeting for the Mexico mission trip.

Comments

[alabastard.livejournal.com]

This is why I love the martial arts, when taught right, it's a lifelong study ...

[only-sound.livejournal.com]

I know the writing is a sensitive area for you and that your efforts to make the world a better place are steps you take each day to improve life for someone. Ignoring both of those caveats entirely (because it's the internet and you can do mannerless things like that) I just want to remind you that, maybe not on all days, and maybe not on most days, but certainly on some days, you make the world a better place because more than a decade ago you decided to write a story about how powerful love can be. And that's not the sort of story you can set loose in the world without changing it. (I lent The Wild Swans out yesterday to a public health friend, and she came back enlightened, is all I'm saying.)

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks. This made my day.