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I am proud to report that last night, I passed my exam for blue belt in chito ryu karate. For those who are wondering, the ranking system goes: white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown, black.
I’m actually not in this for the black belt. Seriously.
At my old dojo, I was about 6 months away from getting my black belt before I quit. I could have had it… and felt completely undeserving and unprepared. At the dojo I’m at now, the sensei has only passed 16 black belts in 30 years of teaching. Most people never make it that far. And you know what, I’m perfectly fine with that. As a newly-minted blue belt, I feel almost as competent as an advanced brown belt in my old dojo.
Incidentally, at this dojo, anyone who asks, “am I close to getting my black belt” automatically adds a year on to the time before he / she gets it. *grin*
I’ve heard that from people before....there is a feeling of worthiness, and in the process of achieving the different levels, you feel very humble of what the whole process is about. It’s not about the achieving of the Black Belt that is important, it’s the journey, and what we learn along the way!
(still, the competition side of me always is seeing how ‘far is up’!
Absolutely. My sensei is very disdainful of “belt mills” (as he calls them), where you sign up and they guarantee you a black belt in three years, or whatever. Guess what? That’s a completely useless black belt! Yes, you’ve got the belt, but you don’t have the skill or discipline to back it up.
Apparently, the original dojos didn’t have belt levels at all. Everyone would be given a white belt when they started. However, in Japan it’s traditional not to wash your karate belts. So after you’d been doing karate for a while, your belt would turn… black! From all the dirt worn into it over the years! Disgusting? A bit. But you can see why people would look up to black belts: it was a visual proof that they’d been doing this for a long, long time.
(I actually know of a few dojos who only have white, brown, and black belts, even today. But they give you a new belt, you don’t need to wait until it’s black from dirt.)
I’m in the nursery business (selling plants) and you have probably heard of term of someone being called a ‘green thumb’. The way you become a green thumb is the knowledge you obtain over many seasons working with plants.
The saying came from when clay pots were used mostly for holding the plants (instead of plastic we use today). If the pot is wet and your working with them all the time, your hands get some of the moss rubbed off of the pot. Over daily, weekly, monthly, yearly working with plants, you always have the ‘green thumb’ which stains your hands...... just like the black belt (although I would probably wash my belt -LOL )
Most of you know that back in 2006, I lost about 25 pounds. The weight had come on gradually, over the course of about 7 years, one little pound at a time. I never did much about it, because “117 is almost 115,” and then “120 is almost 117,” etc.
When I lost the weight, I successfully kept my range between 111 and 113 for the better part of two years. However, lately it’s begun to creep up again. I was a bit miffed when it stayed at 113, but it was still in my range and I didn’t care. It scooted up to 114 last week, but I still didn’t do much about it. Today it was 115, and I’m drawing the line in the sand. I’m going to be good until it goes down that 2 or 3 pounds I need to be back in my range. It shouldn’t take more than a week or two.
Some people might say I’m freaking out over two pounds. But when I look back at my history, I realize that if I didn’t, I’d begin the slow climb back up to where I don’t want to be.
(For the record, “be good” doesn’t mean “don’t eat.” “Be good” simply means cutting back on the fast food and desserts and paying attention to portion size. I don’t diet, but I do pay attention to the food that goes into my body.)
Nicely done on taking a stand. Its the decisions and actions of now that determine your future.
I have just read your entire thread. Yes, it took a few minutes. I’m glad I did. Let me start by saying I’m glad you are still a moderator. You are wise beyond your years. Perhaps you have karate to thank for that, but I find it usually has something to do with upbringing. You have a stable set of values and a penchant for living by them. All of the advice I have seen you give here in MTM land follows those values. Above and beyond that, you are humble enough to ask for help and advice when needed. I am, personally, less receptive of someone’s advice if they aren’t human enough to grow from some themselves.
Over the last 13 pages or so of your thread, I have watched you struggle with your identity. Or more accurately, your struggle between what you want to do and what you think you should do. Here’s where I hope I can offer you some advice. Try to take what you love and learn to make money from it. I know, I know ... you’ve never heard that before.
Consider this:
- you have a strong, stable set of values
- you enjoy helping others
- you obviously adore children
- your passion for Medieval History is obvious
- you are extremely articulate, and may I be as bold as “publishable”
- oh yah, you love to write! One visit to your LJ and that is obvious!
Do you see where I am going with this? Disney built an empire passing along his values and passions to children through stories and cartoons. Have you ever considered writing children’s books? Perhaps write to, and for, your own children. Start out with bedtime stories, then move to grammar school age tales. Maybe follow up with teen-age appropriate novels. Write for them as they grow. You control the media they are exposed to. Teach your medieval history through value rich, adventurous stories. Make it what you want, and how you want it. This is your world. I would love the chance to read your works.
Yes, you need something that pays the bills, a little extra for your trips to the Caribbean (everybody deserves those). If you truely want to be an accountant, then you should really follow that. Most people that I work with have degrees in whatever, most have nothing to do with their current job. They do the work they do because it pays the bills, but if they had a choice ... I wouldn’t be working with them. Please, don’t allow yourself to fall in that rut. You could earn a very satisfying living in the process. Just make it yours. Put your stamp on it.
Realize, this is only a suggestion. Whatever you do, I hope it’s your choice. Don’t just leave your mark on the world, Julie, make a dent!
Thanks for the idea! I hadn’t considered writing children’s books, but I’ll think about it.
Actually, much as I love to write, I love to perform even more. I do *a lot* of folk-singing at my medieval re-enactment groups (like the one I’m attending this weekend), and I think in the fall I’m going to take some singing lessons to learn how to do it without hurting my voice. After that… who knows?
Incidentally, there’s a wonderful piece, not of my own writing, but one that I perform all the time, that’s absolutely hilarious. You can find the written version here. You don’t really know Beowulf until you’ve read this.
So when I got on the scale this morning, it read 113.5 pounds. Obviously, there’s some natural fluctuations going on, but I’m still pleased. I’m still going to continue being good until I get back down to 111, mind you. Like I said, it shouldn’t take more than a week or two.
Many of you know that I’m working part-time, 3 days a week. I’m enjoying it, in fact. But yesterday, life decided to test my resolve. Long story short, a bunch of people in my department have left for various reasons, and I have been offered the opportunity to move from part-time (3 days per week) to full-time (5 days per week). I’m really, really torn about this one.
On the one hand, I really like my 4-day weekends and don’t have any pressing expenses right now (as I still live with my mom). On the other hand, I’m saving up to move out and have no idea whether I’ll be able to sustain myself in an apartment with roommates on my 3-day-a-week salary (about the equivalent of full-time minimum wage).
I really, really don’t know. I know what I want, which is to keep the 3-day workweeks. I just don’t know if it’s what I *should* be doing.
)
