Today is the anniversary of the day that I walked into the dojo for the first time. After a year of Aikido, some people make long, philosphical, introspective statements. I’ve even read a (somewhat self-aggrandizing) book about it. Luckily for you, the reader, I’m not in a particularly philosophical or introspective mood, so instead I humbly present the following timeline:
58 weeks ago: My new boss Stumpy and I are having dinner after visiting a client in Yokohama. Stumpy casually mentions that he teaches Aikido several mornings per week. I briefly consider asking him about it, but decide not to, since I don’t figure that Aikido is something that beginners do. I fail to notice the flaw in my logic.
57 weeks ago: My other new boss Spike lectures me about how I should make use of my time in Japan to do some sort of Japanese cultural thing. I figure maybe I should just get really good at Mah Jongg.
56 weeks ago: On the way to a client, I trip, twisting my ankle badly. Stumpy points out that this may not have happened had I been studying Aikido. I briefly consider asking him about it, but my ankle hurts and I can’t walk properly. And besides, I can’t have Spike thinking that he’s convinced me with his little lecture.
368 days ago: My ankle is mostly healed now. I happen to mention to Stumpy and Spike that my predecessor told me that their nicknames came from “characters in some martial arts book”. Stumpy laughs; the nicknames were around a long time before the book was. He hands me a copy of Angry White Pajamas, a book that a student of theirs wrote about his intensive year-long Aikido course.
One year ago: I step into the dojo for the first time. Stumpy is teaching class, so instead I’m greeted (and taught) by the dojo’s head instructor, Roland. It’s only months later that I will learn that this smiling, friendly, good-natured Australian man is the same man who was portrayed as the evil, sadistic “Terminator” villain in the book that I’ve just finished reading.
364 days ago: I wake up, every muscle in my body screaming. I vow never to set foot in the dojo again.
360 days ago: I set foot in the dojo again.
50 weeks ago: Stumpy gets sick, and Roland is unavailable. The dojo is closed for a week. Although I’m not happy that Stumpy is sick, secretly I’m glad for the break.
40 weeks ago: The dojo is closed for a week again, this time for Japanese national holidays. Something has changed in the past 10 weeks; instead of being happy for the break, I’m anxious for the dojo to open again; I’m looking forward to the first day of training.
28 weeks ago: I finish 2 weeks of intensive summer training. But the fun’s not over yet! For the next month, I’ll be in the dojo almost every morning doing test training!
15 weeks ago: My first test long behind me, I’m preparing for the second test. With two weeks to go, I get injured. My doctor advises me to not do Aikido for at least 2 weeks. I’m intensely frustrated and discouraged; it’s probably the closest I’ve ever come to throwing in the towel. Luckily, a sempai who has recently returned to training after an injury much more serious than mine knows the right words to say to make it all better.
6 weeks ago: It’s winter. And for as long as I can remember, I’ve been the sort of guy who gets the blues during winter. I’ve been going to training, but admittedly somewhat intermittently. It’s not that I don’t enjoy training — when I go, I have a great time, and look forward to the next class. It’s just that getting out of bed seems a lot harder than it used to, and suddenly minor ailments like “a cold” or “didn’t get enough sleep last night” that last summer I would have just ignored, are excuses to avoid going to the dojo.
5 weeks ago: A sempai who has been training like a woman posessed for the past year accidentally beats me up during class. Not “Oh my god, I have to go to the hospital right now!” level, but at least “What happened to you?! You used to be a wimp!” level. For some reason, this provides the inspiration that i need to snap me out of the funk that I’m in. I’m back at it (though at the expense of my wrist). The sempai will admit, days later and after much needling, that she was secretly glad to have beaten me up.
19 days ago: I begin three solid weeks of training: 2 weeks for the dojo’s intensive winter course, and then another after that to train for the test that I missed last December. I’m looking forward to it like I never would have thought.
6 days ago: Intensive winter training has finished, so it’s time to start test training. No rest for the wicked.
22 minutes from now: It’s Friday morning at 5:59am, so what else would I be doing? I head out the door for the dojo.
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