Tonight, I begin my 17th year of Taekwon-do training and I am very much looking forward to taking my place in line with my friends, bowing in, and leaning into the muscle memory of all of those years of training.
Last year was a rough one for my TKD practice/progress.
After my injury in October (that I didn’t uncover until April) I found it increasingly difficult to participate fully in class and I struggled to practice effectively and my ADHD was not helping, and, and, and…let’s just say things were HARD on my brain and on my body.
So, it was a great relief to discover that there was a REASON why everything was so hard and that I could find ways to make them easier (not easy but easier) again.
It was wonderful to know that the JOY of familiar movement could and would outweigh the challenge once my injuries healed – and that’s what I know I will find at class tonight.
At this point, being a martial artist is a vital part of my identity.
Putting on my dobok, going to class, and moving through my patterns and drills in the company of my friends helps me feel like myself.
After that, the fact that taekwon-do challenges my mind and my body is just a bonus, really.
See you tonight, my TKD friends!
PS – If you are wondering how I did with my plan to prepare for this first class? Well, as usual, various things conspired against me and I had to rework my plan considerably. However, the act of creating that zine helped me to keep TKD prep in mind so I did far more preparation than I would have otherwise and I feel good about the whole thing.
