Karate is a Constant

All this time without a post, and I'm sure most people think I've disappeared somewhere.  Quit karate, maybe, after becoming a mom, like so many people do.

Well I haven't, but I do have newfound respect for all those people, and owe them an apology for my unspoken criticism of their dedication.  It's just plain hard sometimes to combine parenting and martial arts, from a time standpoint if no other.  My husband and I are incredibly lucky -- his parents live nearby and babysit twice a week so that we can both train on those days.  Other days, we trade off.  It's a compromise, not a sacrifice, but it means we train less, and I fear that it shows.  We try to make up for that by training hard physically and mentally, and we're grateful to both be still passionate and involved in martial arts.

That's the nice thing.  After all the chaos attendant on moving and welcoming a new member of our household, learning to be parents and adjusting just about every aspect of our lives, karate has remained a constant in our world.  It is an anchor in many ways, strengthening us mentally and physically, as well as giving us a second home in the dojo, a place to leave the daily routine behind and strive for something different.  This should not be confused with saying that karate is stagnant, that it never changes, evolves, or challenges; quite the contrary.  But the basis is reliable:  the putting on of my gi, the stretching, the review of basics, the adjustments to stance or technique, the repetition of kata and the revelations that can bring, and above all the time and attention spent focused on nothing but karate.

I've spent the last year training when I could, watching, criticizing, being frustrated, being rewarded, and all the other things that you get in a dojo.  I've written innumberable blogs about my experiences that never made it to the keyboard.  I hope and plan to start posting again much more regularly, and I'm sure that many of these things, personal or otherwise, will make it into this blog.

But I thought it appropriate, this day, to bow in respect to my martial art, and constant in an ever-changing world.

Comments

[Lisa (aka Martial Arts Mom)]

Hi, I checked out BBM's blogroll and happened upon your first post in all this time. How great for me! Sounds like you have had some exciting things going on as of late. Having a baby sure does that to a household, doesn't it? Do what you can and enjoy both aspects of your lives. I wish my hubby would do martial arts with me, but he has no interest. Kudos to you for kicking together and sticking together! And congrats on the new addition!

[Michele]

I like the concept of karate as a constant. You are right ... it is reliable. When I have a rough day, spending time in the dojo helps me through it.

[LirianFae]

Having our daughter has been an incredible adventure and more fun than I could have dreamed possible, but the concept of "regular schedule" is laughable! She wreaks havoc with plans, to the point where we just don't bother to make them most of the time. As soon as we realized it wasn't important, we quit stressing on it and it's all good.

The concept of the dojo as a place of almost refuge, of constancy, came to me as I was laughing with a friend over how nothing in my life is what it used to be. Karate, however, remains. People have come and gone, my body has changed through the course of my 12+ years of training, my perspective has matured, but karate itself remains an anchor point, one of several around which I have structured my life.