Been too long. I've been thinking about the whole Tao, Do, Michi, Path, Way, thingy. It may just be time for me to start learning Chinese. I got to train with Kiyama Sensei some last week, and it is always an honor. Seeing Sensei reminds me just how much of a journey without destination this really is. Sensei is 87 years old this year, and coming back from shattered his femur while working in his vegetable field. Tough doesn't begin to describe him. The doctors said he'd be in the hospital for at least 3 months. 1 month later they kicked him out because he was going up and down the stairs unassisted! It's the journey. He is working to get back to training. At 87, it is not unreasonable to ask "Why is he working to go back to training?" The answers are first, "Why not?" and second, "Because that is who he is." He trains and he teaches. The journey isn't over, so there is no reason to quit.
I think about this as my own journey has slowed down because of my own injuries. Like Sensei, I'm going to need a little surgical repair, but once that is done the journey continues. If I'm honest, the journey continues even before the surgery. I'm learning new lessons about what I can and can't do, and some interesting lessons about motivation and who I think I am. I wonder what lessons Sensei took away from his journey through injury and recovery. I do know that he is back in the dojo, and back in the vegetable field. I had dinner at his house the other day, and 100% of the fruits and vegetables on the table were from his field.
