So I haven’t been to Sin City in more than a decade (and my oldest child is 12, cooincidence? I think not!), but next week I’m going out there with some friends to a gaming show. I’m pretty stoked! I haven’t had anything resembling an actual vacation for myself in a loooong time. If you don’t hear from me by next Saturday, assume I’ve ditched everything, changed my name to Vince, and become a blackjack dealer.
I finally did it. I did a quick count, and as far as I can tell I’ve started training in seven different martial arts styles in my life (not counting just auditing a teacher or trying something out for a month or two). In all that time, the closest I got to a black belt was a brown belt I received in Isshin Ryu just before my teacher relocated to Pennsylvania. Every time I’ve gotten close before either I moved, my teacher moved, or something truly bizarre happened (one of my teachers had been having an affair, left his wife, and absconded while owing back rent and tuition to several of his students).
Thursday night I finally managed to earn a black belt, and I’m still tripping about it three days later. My test was delayed three hours, so I didn’t finish testing until 11:15 PM. I couldn’t sleep afterward until 2:00 AM and spontaneously woke up two hours later.
I know that my knowledge today isn’t any better than it was last Sunday, and I know that the belt doesn’t really make any difference in what I do every day, but now when I’m talking to a non-martial artist I can tell them that I have a black belt instead of having to explain exactly where I am in my training. And now I can start teaching what I know to others and really start understanding what it is I’ve been doing for the last four years.
Gaman!
I’m mainly focused on the ones in my stomach. I’m testing for my blackbelt tonight, even though my teacher’s teacher has basically told me that I’m wasting my time. But even though I’ve been given no hope, I’m oddly optimistic. I guess freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.
Wish me luck…
Yesterday I spent four hours with my friend Allison helping her get her office (and a portion of her life) more organized. I’ve been using a lot of the principles from the book Getting Things Done
So now I’ve got a pretty good grasp on my work, and I’m not often “surprised” by things that used to slip through the cracks. And I got a real feeling of accomplishment helping Allison start doing the same thing for herself. Time is the one commodity they’re not making more of for any of us, so anything I can do to help people use it better seems like a worthwhile way to spend mine.
Somehow I wound up seeing this video today. I’ve always had my reservations about Walt Disney and his influence on the world, but seeing these cute little Japanese girls dressed like pirates and singing It’s a Small World After All caused me some serious psychic trauma. Watch at your own risk.
For some reason that little rhyme came to me the other day. I learned it when I was getting my bare boat charter certificate in Seattle, 15 years ago or so. What it means is that the boat that’s showing two red lights in a vertical line isn’t being steered by anybody, so don’t expect it to get out of your way.
I’ve been feeling a little like that lately, like I’m more-or-less drifting with the current. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing, but for someone who’s been used to having a long-term plan at all times it’s a little disconcerting. Maybe it’s just that I’ve never really had the certainty that I thought I did, but before I wasn’t aware of it. Most people are comfortable living a reactive life and going with the flow, but I’m not. Not at all.