spoiled rotten

So i'm back in town. Deb & i just spent 3 days up in the mountains for real. We haven't had a lot of vacations together, just the two of us, but we made up for it in spades. We stayed in a cool little mining town called Idaho Springs for two nights. Wednesday night we saw Death Cab for Cutie at Red Rocks, incredible show. The opening band, Rogue Wave, was also terrific to see. If you haven't seen or heard of Red Rocks, it's an immense natural outdoor amphitheater; truly a wonder to behold, let alone a place to watch an emo band.

The next two days we spent biking some of the most incredible mountain bike trails. For what it's worth, the Alderfer/3 Sisters trail is rated #16 in the country, and Elk Meadow is rated #93 in the country...can you imagine? We literally stopped every once in a while to look at each other and ask, we live here?

That was essentially the mood of this trip: what would have been a just-fine, relaxing vacation away for a little biking, was overwhelmingly enhanced by the fact that we live in what has to be one of the most amazing places on the entire planet. We drove less than two hours and got to be immersed in everything Colorado is. That's pretty awesome.

done, and beginning

I'm tired, I'm hot, I'm sweaty. And I'm a nidan.

My body is fatigued, but not broken or aching; because we were genuinely prepared for this test. It should go without saying, but make no mistake that being well-prepared for something makes it a lot easier to accomplish. Not to say it was easy, far from it. But we hit it head-on.

Deb & I were actually supposed to do this test 6 months ago. Her shoulder disagreed, and decided we'd wait a cycle. That turned out very well: we had such an amazing group, i can't imagine having tested with anyone else now.

After our own test, we watched & judged the shodan (first-degree black belt) candidates, including participating in their sparring exam. I think that at thirty-eight years old, having finished my own exhausting test, and still being able to spar several rounds...well, who cares if i've got some belly fat to work on? I am wearing the bad-ass badge for now.

There's something of a let-down that happens after big events like this. Something you've been devoting so much time, energy, sweat, and focus to, and suddenly you're done. I am looking forward to having some time back for other things -- hockey, biking, working the yard, not dragging the kids to the dojo 3 hours every day -- but i'm also sure i'm going to miss the feeling of being in a group with a singular goal.

At the same time, I'm so very much looking forward to my first nidan class, and many more. For a long time, I had lost a lot of my inspiration in karate; I've just fought a long, hard battle to get that back, and it's back with a vengeance. It's a fresh start in a way, and I cannot wait to get started.

moto ichi do

I stood outside for a moment and oriented myself. The waxing moon ahead to my left, the big dipper ahead to my right. It's clear and cold down below here. Nothing happening down below here will make any difference to the moon or the big dipper.

We are four days away from our Nidan test. Tonight i worked with my uke. Uke is a word that in a way means "partner"; it's someone who takes the brunt of all your brilliantly executed techniques during your test. In fact, the work "uke" means "to receive"; as in, they must receive the brunt of all your techniques, brilliantly executed or not. Tonight my uke "received" a rattan stick to her upper lip. She graciously and courageously toughed through that (with my apologies), and continued to work with me. That's what makes an uke more than a "partner": understanding and accepting that she was working toward my goal, not her own...my test. It's no small task. My uke is my 13-year old daughter. And I'm learning as much from her as she is from me.

I actually have two ukes for my test, and I have to attest to the selflessness that both of them have shown me. Come to think of it, i technically have three that I'll work with...and all three of them are responsible for any amount of shining i can hope to do on this test. How can i ever thank them?

We've worked together very, very hard over a long period of time to make sure everything goes perfectly. The fact is, the world is an imperfect place and nothing can hope to go perfectly. But, we can do the best we can; we can try our hardest; we can hope for the best; and we can realize that we are forever students, that we will always be learning how to improve ourselves. A white belt is a beginner; a black belt is a serious beginner. I like to think a Nidan is a committed beginner.

Rank is not a goal reached by passing a test, it is an acknowledgement of the journey leading up to that point.

The moon will be nearly full when we test, and the big dipper will still look the same. Hopefully, we'll be a little different down below here.