The black belt test yesterday

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 )