Love this quote.
And thanks, Gretchen, I'm doing both.
Life is good.
Three classes today, plus extra practice and cleaning tonight. There are days when I feel like I live at the dojang. This must be how Middle feels.
There are worse places to call home. It's clean, fairly uncluttered, and full of people I love - including Savageman for a while tonight, which was nice.
As I worked there today, a nagging thought regarding the June testing date kept rising to the surface.
Middle will likely be testing for his senior black belt. If I test the same day - immediately after he's done with his - I will be testing for red, the color that comes before black in Jung Sim Do.
I already had it set in my mind that I would not test in June - I would take my time and work on learning my new material, as well as going back and tweaking all of my old material, fixing the bad habits, etc. Six months minimum, I thought. It's not a race, and I enjoy being a color belt. I want to feel solid on the material I know before moving forward again. I know the female sabumnims would agree in this regard.
Also, it's Middle's special day. I don't want to spend it collapsed, exhausted, with an ice pack on the couch. I want to throw him a party or something.
He has other ideas. If he gets his black belt that morning, he can assist at my color belt test, so he's been especially eager for me to be there. His best buddy, with whom I am also good friends, will be testing for red as well and he doesn't intend to wait. We've prepared for other tests together and he was looking forward to us supporting each other through this one. My friends who will be testing for green want me there too.
Not that peer pressure is a good reason. It's only The Master's opinion that counts.
His input when I told him I had been thinking about waiting? "Never say never."
Meanwhile, it's only been 3 weeks since I tested for the stripe and he has already taught me my hapkido techniques and one of my two open hand forms. He started the second with me today, and I hear the sword form I need to learn isn't particularly long. It's a vote of confidence to have been taught this much material so soon.
In addition, I have a recently-returned-from-college black belt Guru who has been helping me several times per week on the tweaking part. He has already fixed many of my bad habits and is working with me on the sparring and fighting techniques where I need improvement. It's invaluable coaching from someone who is guiding me to think outside the box - and it's already resulted in some noticable major improvements.
With all this extra help and encouragement, I'm beginning to consider the test after all. I guess I will have to see where I'm at physically and skill-wise in these next two months. The current injuries will have to heal, and I will have to be satisfied with my techniques at a more detailed level of precision.
If I continue to put in these kinds of days and get this kind of help, and if my body cooperates, I may be able to do it.
So, yes, I'm taking myself - and these training goals - seriously.
Everything else? The immature interpersonal crap, the politics, the self-doubt? I'm laughing it off. Life is too short to be mired in it.
I look at The Master and his approach to life and I know that I aspire to be like him. Laid back, cheerful, calm, centered. Above the bullshit. There are things he takes very seriously, and things he laughs off. Mostly, it's the latter with him. I'm sensing it's the same with the Guru, and with the closer of my closest friends.
So yes - Gretchen Rubin's quote is perfect for where I'm at right now.
Love it.
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