Aikido reflections

Well everyone came back from skiing Fri in a good humor and we had a very pleasant dinner and evening.

Sat. AM the visiting daughter went off to carry out the main reason for her visit, a bridal shower in the next state. She is probably flying back by now as she was going home directly from the shower. It was very good to see her even if is was for so short a time.

Sat morning brought a pleasant surprise for me as well. I went off to Aikido class as I am likely to do on Sat morning and one of the teaching Black Belts was very complimentary about the test I had done the week before. Wow, a whole week later and he was still impressed. It was a good test. it looked especilly fine in contrast because I had been in a serious funk and being very flaky with technique for the previous weeks in classes. It seemed that the more I practiced the worse I got.

So I stopped obsessing about the test and just did it.

When it came time for the test I kept my center and simply let the techniques happen. Shodon is a matter of attutude as well as basic knowledge. I have achieved the internal qualities already in Jiujitsu. While I need to acquire much more technique knowledge and practice to be Shodon in Aikido there is much to be said for exercising the internal qualities in the performance of the Aikido techniques that I do know and can demonstrate. Tai chi practice is a help too. Tai chi concentrates so firmly on the internal aspects of the energy dynamics that underly the effective techniques of all the martial arts that it is a major aid in aikido practice. It is so easy to focuss on the external aspects of a technique, the choreography, so to speak, that you can never have time to get to the internal aspects that actually make it work. Tai chi chuan looks seriously at those internal aspects. If one is so inclined they translate beautifully to other places.

Quiet Day/frustration

It's another quiet Friday. Husband is off skiing, this time with 2 daughters. It's nice to see family solidarity.

Why am I not skiing too? several reasons, not the least of which is I'm not at all sure that I still fit in my ski pants. My rear end seems to have expanded out of all expectations this year. I have added weight but all of it seems to be in my butt. Also, my knees have finally recovered from jan'04's bad cold & ski experience and I'm not too keen on damaging them again. I like my knees. I like doing things that use them heavily, ie Aikido, jiujitsu, tai chi, walking getting up & down the stairs in my house etc. Third, it's good to have someone answering the phones for the Vet. business. I may not be able to send him out today but I can make appts for other days and listen to updates and take notes on who needs refills and so on. Finally, I hate to miss my Taichi class on Friday afternoon. It's only once a week but I do enjoy it.

Just because I'm home alone is no reason to be bored. I have a large needlework project underway, a good book to read, grocery shopping to do and a new computer (newish) to play games on.

What's the frustrating part. well I went with husband and another couple to see the Gates last Sat and wrote a cool assesment of them but it got lost in edit somewhere and I can't find it to post it. Will need to post immediately now & in the future.

Busy Sunday

Sundays are especially busy this Feb. It started when I agreed to teach a Self defense series on 3 sunday afternoons in Feb. At that time I figured who would be planning more stuff in Feb. Well I suppose I'm not the only one who thought that & theres been a major Aikido seminar (for Tsunami relief) and today a seminar on Taichi's Martial applications. I get to go to both but leave early to meet with the Self Defense class. Now I need to make certificates for the students as it's the last session in the series.

This self defense class is pretty basic escape stuff. I think of it as a first aid course. Red cross will teach you how to assess a situation and phone for help. Maybe begin CPR. but first aid is not a subsitute for medical school. Self defense classes are about the same on a Martial Arts level. They can introduce concepts and actions that ought to help so you can get away and call for help. They are better than being clueless.

Til later

Celebration

this is a short post to celebrate the fact that I managed to find my way back to the bolg site! I may look pretty computer literate but certain things flummox me.

Finally started

Its' been several weeks now that I've been meaning to start a blog. My family has been encouraging me to talk out loud to other people. Strangers in the supermarket would think I am weird but somehow strangers on the internet might be interested.
I have a wide range of interests and lots of opinions. Probably everyone in the world will agree with me on something and disagree on something else. That's ok with me. I'm not here to make the world agree with me but sometimes I'd like to raise issues from different perspectives.
As I said, my family is a little tierd of being my main sounding board. They think I should share more widely.

I have things to say on- Martial Arts, Church choirs, needlework, abortion rights, gay marriages, social security, tea, family relationships, work visas, immigration, books, immune system function & allergies and more.

I'll probably cycle through most of these as events take me.