Lessons Learned

This past Saturday was the black belt test in our TKD school. Before the test, I told myself that I would try to learn something from the test.

But I got it all wrong. I now know why I didn't feel like I learned anything substantial immediately after the test--it was because I was looking to learn from the wrong things. I thought I would gain some insight on how to do a certain technique (or how not to do a certain technique) or something.

But I am getting it right now. It's not learning from the test, it's learning from the people who tested. And here are some things I hope I will remember:

Annie's thirst for knowledge. Annie is aggressive about learning, in a good way. She collects videos of people doing forms, she asks lots of questions from the best, and never tires of correcting her mistakes. Sometimes I am too lazy or impatient to fix something or I get satisfied with what has been taught to me. I rarely seek out new knowledge, as Annie as done. I hope to do more of this in the future.

Andy's patience and wisdom. Andy is so patient when he teaches me weapons. It's easy for me to want to see the whole move instead of breaking it down, but he talks slowly enough so I am forced to slow down and actually pay attention. I will never complain of showing people things a minimum of 5 or 6 times (granted, that they are paying attention during all of those times!)

Samson's strive for perfection. Samson can kick above his head--I think I am a little jealous. Jealousy is natural; I won't try to suppress it. I think he is a good example of how to really push yourself even when you don't have to. After all, he is only ten, and no one expects ten-year-olds to be great at TKD. Most of the kids at the school free-ride (consciously or not) off an imagined standard that they can be sloppy because they are kids. Not Samson. And something tells me that he's not just working hard because he is competing in tournaments. Otherwise he would just work hard before the tournament, but he works hard all the time.

Darryl's humor. Darryl is always funny. He was funny during the test after he built a "throne" out of the boards he broke, and he was funny before that too. Sometimes during TKD I get too carried away with things and I barely even crack a smile. People like Darryl remind me that the point of doing anything is to have fun and to let loose on the seriousness whenever possible. He eases the tension so I don't stretch and snap.

Grethe's indomitable spirit. After a tragedy and an extremely long hiatus, she still came back to martial arts. And she has two kids and a full-time job. I don't know how she does it. She belongs in the group of great women who can do a lot of things, like Sanderson and Golden. Looking at her makes me realize that I can handle the stresses of life and still continue on with martial arts. For her I really do think that it is a lifelong thing, or at least the principles for her are a lifelong thing. I hope I am right, because I admire her perseverance a lot.