Life can be busy. I realize that is no new revalation, just go along with me. Things can get really busy. Lately, 12-14 hour work days are not unusual for me. I have found not to plan too many extra things in my day simply because my day is already so full! Upon all of my responsibilities already, though, I have added another two responsibilities to my plate. I have taken on two more college classes, psychology and Kempo Karate. Psychology because I enjoy the subject and Kempo, well, I was promised I could beat somebody up in the class, and if you are as stressed as I am lately, you would jump on the opportunity to beat someone up legally.
Avid readers of my blog may feel this is reminiscent of two other blog posts. As mentioned in "How I Beat up Women and Won the Game," I am a black belt in Karate. Unfortunately, I haven't used or practiced my karate for several years, so I decided it was time to reclaim some of what I learned. However, one of the first blogs I posted called "My Ya Ya Sisterhood" was about a water aerobics class I took last summer and the unfortunately creepy aspect the class had towards me. Apparently, I didn't learn anything from that class- that the fitness classes I take can be totally insane! And sure enough, Kempo Karate doesn't escape that rule of thumb.
I am very excited about the class, don't get me wrong. I have found the class to be amazing. In my experience with people who have "learned martial arts," they expect the class to be a way to look like Bruce Lee in two weeks. How wrong they turn out to be. The class takes years of dedication to reach that level and most people quit a couple of weeks in. This applies to a lot of things in life, though. Take working out in general. Think about how you go to the gym and work out with all the other people there.
As a slightly overweight guy in the gym stands there, sweat dripping from every strand of hair on his head, his sweat-glazed gut poking out from beneath his shirt, you sometimes wonder what you are doing there in the first place. The smell of feet and toe jam lifts steadily from the wood flores where we slide around from all the sweat. Definitely, it is gross and weird. There is a reprieve to the experience, though, an upside if you will. Meditation. Not the kind where you float around and you have an out of body experience where you meet Ghandi or anything, but a relaxing thirty to sixty seconds of silence. In karate, we zone out like this before and after every class as a way to clear our heads of any craziness or hecticness in our lives, a time where we can put our troubles on the shelf and chill. Many people who work out do this while they work out. They simply shake all the cares of the world off them as they dwelll on peace.
I dare you to try this. Trust me, it is amazing. It is not cooky or weird in any way, I promise. Just take thirty seconds next time you're stressed to close your eyes and think about nothing. I mean, nothing. Not about troubles at work, with the family, the payments, the time, the day, the weather, the how, the when. Think about nothing. Clear your mind of troubles and heartache. Then, towards the end of the thirty seconds, think about the task ahead of you and only that task. Take life one bite at a time. It is like that saying goes, "If you want to eat an elephant, you have to do it one bite at a time." Or as the verse puts it, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." -Philipians 4:8
I dare you to think about those things this week. And if you see Ghandi while you are meditating, say hi to him for me.
KB
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