For the first time since summer, I trained for two consecutive classes tonight. It was a struggle to get there, but staying was easy. When school ended at 4:50, all I could think of was to take a nap. In fact, I thought about it all day when I wasnt teaching. I erased the board, straightened desks, gathered the red folder of papers to grade, my grade book, and plans and stuffed them in my bag. It seemed like loose papers were everywhere... Nap, I needed a nap. Driving home I thought about napping. In the door, greeting my wife and daughter, and there on the dining room chairs, there under the light, fading blue, my gi. Just 15 minutes to nap, all I needed was 15 minutes. Peeled off the day layer by layer. Now in old tkd gi pants, my old vans, my old 3240* tee, my skankiest tzitzit. Started talking, plain conversating. Looked to see it was 5:25. Id slept just about 5 hours last night. Asked myself, Should I even train today? I thought back. I learned Tanya this morning. I tried to learn some Torah. Davening could have been much better. Much much better. But I ate smart, and I taught well. Plus, I wrote two haiku today. No time for a nap. I went down, got my gi together, and got ready to go. Drilled, drilled, drilled a choke from the top of half guard. What I remember: Hold his gi under his opposite shoulder, get your trapped knee up with your other leg and butt down, and pressure the jaw with your shoulder. Take his collar with your free hand and pass it under his arm to your other hand, deep. Now step out and change the collar into the other hand again, staying deep. Grab the trapped collar with your bladed forearm at his neck. X squeeze your hands while moving your head forward to the floor while your legs are locked, toes up and active on the mat. The second part in the series worked better for me: using his arm across this neck while keeping the collar unsder deep and pressuring his arm onto himself. Then we rolled a few times. Ryan was a good fight, so was the white belt whose name I always forget. Rolled with a new kid tonight. Pity him that he might learn something from me. Someone should save him, save his jiu jitsu. By the end of class I self assessed. Shoulder? Check. Breathing? Check. Fatigue? None. Go? Wheres the phone... The second class was great, and coming home to my family and baked sweet potato was even greater... When I sat down to take it all in, sweet potatoes quickly disappearing, I saw today as befitting the piece Ive recently been working on. (I know, I know, I owe, I owe parts of other unfinished pieces... I know, I know.) Of late, Ive been pondering -- yes, I used that word -- the results of just freaking showing up, of being totally purposefully present, wherever or whatever was happening. This idea, this ridiculous epiphany that is so duh, bugs me so bad with its cliche over usage and the inevitable apologetics: But its true! Even though I see the benefits, I still dont do it in every area. And some of those areas are quite important. What does it take to show up more? Maybe just this. My next post on the blog will be on this. Consider this a long teaser. *3240 was a fun, local Hialeah punk band in the 90s who sounded like they ate a steady diet of Jawbreakers 24-hour Revenge Therapy.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 04:18:09 +0000