Having lived a lively and varied life I have done many things that have been enjoyable, interesting, testing, difficult, euphoric, depressing and stressful. But from an “it’s all about me” perspective nothing has come close to the highs and lows and rewards that Martial arts has brought me.
Some time in the early 2000’s (I have misplaced the actual date in my memory palace) I suffered a mental break down due to a number of factors and spent many weeks under a duvet feeling very sorry for myself or raging around the place frightening my wife and daughter. With the help of some wonderful pharmaceuticals I was able to get back on track, but still felt very fragile and the angry , raging me often came out.
Then sometime in 2013 (really must get myself a new memory palace) came the decision to take my then 6 year old daughter to a Karate class so that she could start to learn how to look after herself (there will be boys on the radar at some point in the future) . Luckily for us SD School of Martial Arts was just down the road so we rocked up one Sunday morning to find a large Dojo full of people of all shapes and sizes, dressed in red pyjamas, running around and making a lot of noise. I felt guilty just pushing her out on her own so I slipped off my shoes and socks and had a run around with her. Probably only took about 3 classes and I was hooked. I also couldn’t walk or lift my arms but figured it was doing me good.
While my physical self hurt more than I could ever remember my spirit did seem more relaxed, a trend that continues to this day. I still have episodes where life (mostly work life) weighs heavily, and injury or illness means I cannot train, then my defences break down to the point I cannot cope and I seek comfort of the duvet. However while I am practising Karate, or Kick Boxing, or taking part of one of the many fitness classes our centre provide, I am much better prepared for life’s shite, my defences much stronger against all those crap outside influences and I can get on with the daily grind. Have learnt that Prozac is just not enough on it’s own.
Have a few regrets from my time on this rock, mostly good choices but a lot of duff ones, but my now burning regret is I never discovered Karate when I was young…and flexible…….
Better late then never as they say.
Osss.
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