Thwack, thwack, thwack. Thwack, thwack, thwack. The dull sound of flesh hitting flesh as forearms collide in waltz time pulses through the karate dojo, accompanied by low conversation. Nearby I hear a faster tempo as two of the guys with muscular arms go at it twice as fast as everyone else. Next we go to […]
Karate and the Kingdom Part 3: Respect Authority
I stood at the edge of the mat at my first karate class, observing the flurry of action before me. There were about twelve people out on the mat, all performing the same movements of a kata (a choreographed series of blocks, strikes, and kicks), all at the same time, yet at different speeds and […]
Karate and the Kingdom Part Two: Accept the Terms
Read Part One: Girl in Black here. I couldn’t quite believe I was there, sitting across the desk from the owner of the dojo, signing up for karate lessons. I had no great, specific reason why I was doing this; I only knew I had enjoyed my free month of classes, I could use some […]
Karate and the Kingdom Part 1: Girl in Black
My coworker approached me where I sat at one of the computers at work. “Next month, I get to bring a friend to karate for free, and I’m inviting you,” she said. “You can come two times a week for the whole month, or you can come to one class and if you don’t like […]
To the Top Part Four
A bright yellow sign stood guard at the trail with an ominous command to turn back immediately if there was any question of the weather’s safety. “Wow, that’s intense,” Debbie remarked. On a day like today, the bright blue sky made the threat seem innocuous, but it was not hard to imagine getting disoriented if […]
2017 In Review
I realize we’re into the second month of 2018 and I’m just now sharing this post I wanted to publish back in December, but I figure it’s better late than never! I think 2017 was the busiest year I have ever had. It felt like someone stomped on the accelerator of life, and no matter […]