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I have so many fucking passwords – it’s ridiculous. I have passwords for my laptop, my email account, my bank account, and so on. I have a ‘password lookup file’ on my iPhone, which has a password, too. Usually, I use a root password that I either iterate or abridge when it comes time to: “Update Password”. Perhaps, the downside of our technological culture.
Recently, I had to get a new work laptop so I could download an application I needed to do my project. Apparently, the application I needed required a 64-bit format. My laptop was a 32-bit format. Oh, yeah. So I got a new laptop. Along with that comes the re-aligning of applications.
I required privilege on my new laptop to make my necessary changes to do my work. I called my IT Helpdesk. I got instructions to make my request on the IT Service website. In addition, my company recently merged corporate IT services.
This new IT service website asked for my user name and password. I figured out my User Name. When I entered the password that I’ve had for several months, the one that I use for all my company accesses, it came up as “Invalid”.
I sent an email back to my IT technician and told her that I really didn’t want to create a new password, because it could badly affect peripheral aspects. Oh, shit.
Fortunately, she pointed me to the legacy website that recognized my existing password. I was in. I could make my much-needed request.
In this long drawn slice of IT life, passwords open access to what we need, and maybe even to what we want. Maybe, like life? So what are some of the passwords of life? For friendship? For love?
What about mastery? What might be the password for mastery? I’ve discovered over my years of training with Sensei Dan and now Sensei Bobby that mastery is the journey without any particular destination. Granted, along the path I learned character, honor, and resilience. I discovered that I could be greater than I knew myself to be. Mastery is giving away all that I got from Aikido, most of all the joy I get from it.
Really, mastery is about love. Why else would I grind it out, endure the aches, pains and loud voices directed at me? I get my life out of the pursuit of mastery. Yet, even at 57 years old, I do it because it’s fun. Perhaps, the “password” of mastery is Fun.
Last year I badly injured my shoulder from weightlifting and Aikido weapons training. Initially, I thought, “I’m fucked.” Then I listened to my Mom’s voice, “Jonny, slow down…” Take the necessary baby steps to heal up. So I worked with my chiropractor Kevin and my acupuncturist Dr. Pan. I took 9 months to rehab and heal up.
Still, when it came time to go back to Aikido class, I was terrified. I remembered my Mom, “Slow down.” I just had to do my best. I missed practice. I missed practicing with my friends – making each other greater.
My first class back was frightening. Yet, as I ground it out and endured the pain: I had fun, again. I had joy, again. So after class, I stretched out and iced my shoulder. I did what I need to do. I “slowed down.” Amen.
The Mastery Path is invaluable for me. I get purpose, courage, and love. It’s hard training. It’s hard work. Yet, I choose to grind it out, to endure the discomfort, because I have fun. And I’m wiser in how I practice.
Years ago, Sensei told me that kids aren’t going to learn Aikido: Unless it’s fun. That also applies to me.
We have all sorts of passwords in life, particularly for the things that matter like family, art or mastery. What’s your password in your pursuit, whatever that may be. Create a new password when the old one expires so that we don’t expire. Just saying.
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This post was previously published on www.facebook.com and is republished here with permission from the author.
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Photo credit: Istockphoto.com