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About 25 years ago, I was white belt training hard toward my Aikido black belt. It was a Thursday evening class. I wasn’t getting anything right in practice all night. WTF. Sensei Dan was pissed too. After class before going home, my dear friend Bobby told me, “It’s your time to get yelled at.” Aha. I got it.
No, I don’t care about political correctness. Martial arts is a “big boy” endeavor. Getting yelled at is what you signed up for, part of the deal. Bobby offered his perspective, wisdom with kindness. Bobby reminded me: “It’s my time to endure.”
Black belt isn’t the big deal all by itself. Really not. Black belt is your admission into the lifetime pursuit of mastery. Those who think that getting a black belt is the “be all, end all” dismiss the poetry, pain, joy, and commitment of the journey.
Kobe Bryant said that following the greater path “is not easy. If it were, we’d all be lions.” Kobe speaks from experience and discovery. According to Kobe, the journey of becoming greater than you know is “as much about fear as it is about love.” There’s always the fear: Maybe I’m not good enough. There is the love of those who see me as greater than, like Sensei and Bobby. Really, no one becomes greater alone. Greater than arises out of one’s community.
At the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, Oprah Winfrey spoke of “our time” to endure. She said that in her career she has interviewed people who have endured the most horrific suffering, and emerged on the other side. She distinguished the one quality they all share:
They have the ability to maintain hope for a brighter morning even during our darkest nights. . . A new day is on the horizon.
In that journey of becoming greater than you know you to be comes the time when you have to suck it up. Endure. You endure because what you pursue makes a difference for others, and more profoundly makes a difference for you. I’m forever humbled by the love and belief of Sensei, Bobby, and Kyle in my Aikido journey. We shall have our time to endure.
Yes, I only tell stories that end well. I passed my Shodan, 1st-degree black belt test. Now, I’m Yondan, 4th degree. My accomplishments arose from my dojo community. My responsibility is bringing others up as well.
Amen. Amen.
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Photo credit: Pixabay