A ladybug on your shoulder.
A face-up penny on the ground.
A parking space in a crowded lot.
A text after a month of no contact.
Continue reading “I Traded Magical Thinking for Martial Arts”
What Matters Most
“Are we REALLY supposed to clear our minds when we do this?” asked a mouthy teenage black belt. At the beginning and end of class we bow to the flags, sit with our eyes closed and hands folded in prayer, and meditate.
Sit (and Spin) With the Discomfort
Last Monday I finally executed a beautiful spinning hook kick. It might not have been able to do much damage, but it was crisp, balanced, and graceful, making the “rainbow” arc with my leg that Grandmaster had asked for but usually got a falling tree stump in response. Spin kick has been the bane of my existence for a year. It holds a raw, scrubbed mirror up to the illusion I have of my athletic abilities. It contradicts everything my body has been telling me for years. How is it that in yoga I can boldly pop upside down into a standing half-moon but timidly hold my body upright (until I clumsily topple over) during that damn kick?