Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose? Well, not always. Things don't always remain the same as they change. As your situation in life changes, sometimes you need to make adjustments.
A friend of mine had her baby last summer, and says that her attitude toward karate has changed drastically since then. She's been training for 20 years, and plans to continue, but she says it's no longer her highest priority -- nor should it be. She trains now just for herself, not for the team, the region, her husband, her sensei, or any other reason. This is not because any of those things have become less important in her eyes than they once were, but because her priorities have changed. She has a husband, an infant, and a career, all of which she loves, all of which are important to her, and none of which she will neglect, even if it means scaling back on her karate for awhile. She doesn't want to miss anything good, her life is so rich right now that there's not room for letting something take up all the thunder. She won't let anyone guilt trip her into training if there's something else she deems more important.
There will be times in every karate-ka's life that are like that. Karate is still hugely important to me, but I had a migraine yesterday and did not go to training, even though it was mostly gone by the evening. My husband, who recently started a new job, stayed late at work to finish a project and didn't make it either. In years past, we both probably would have gone. Right now his job is #1, he needs to get settled firmly in his new position and wants to make a good impression, so he's going the extra mile a lot of the time. Me? As I've mentioned repeatedly (until you're all sick of it, I'm sure), I'm not taking any health risks at this time. I was weak and woozy and still light- and sound-sensitive, and the last thing I wanted to hear were ki-ya's echoing around the room. I stayed home and rested.
This is not to say that karate should not continue to be a priority for me, my husband, or our friend with her infant. It should be, and it is, but at times, your life outside the dojo needs attention. This is true for everyone out there, because you need balance in your life. If you spend too much time at your job and neglect your family and your training for too long, you will lose out. If you spend too much time concentrating solely on karate and neglecting your job or your other relationships, then some things which need attention won't get it. If you wrap yourself up too much in one person or situation, you stop even seeing the other ones that exist. The Masters would be the first ones to back me up on this; although they always emphasize the importance of regular training and making karate part of your life, they have repeatedly told us that you need to maintain balance.
So that's the theme of this post: Don't think you can always just go on as though nothing has changed. Sometimes things do change, for better or for worse, and you need to address those situations and find a new balance in your life.
So true. Lifes changes and sometimes karate is of the highest priority, sometimes the job and sometimes the family.
For me: last year the job was very important, I could just not force myself to always choose karatepractise before my job.
I had so many new inteteresting challenges in my job that I just had to give it my attention.
Now, I feel my teenagersons are very, very important. So my karate still is not priority one. But it is always there, it is something I never give up, even if it is not number one all parts of my life.
Posted by: RS the blogger former called Chadie | February 04, 2007 at 01:40 AM
Like you said, karate has to be part of your life, not all you life!! Karate, right now, does take a lot of my time and my thought. The only reason is because I'm not working much(I'm a substitute teacher, don't have a full time job) and it is the only way for me not to get insane from boreness!!
And sometimes, you'll just have to take care of yourself!!
Posted by: Jill | February 04, 2007 at 06:06 PM