DECEMBER 2013
SUNRAYS | 49
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SCTXCA.ORG
OK, sure… go straight home. But once
I was in an upright position, I felt fine.
Surely a little shopping couldn’t hurt.
And, so, I did.
The next morning, trying to navigate a
flight of stairs from my bedroom to the
kitchen, was sheer hell. Every muscle
screamed; every bone ached.
Whining to my daughter was useless.
“Don’t give up. You can do it, Mom. By
next Saturday, all of your soreness will
be gone.” Yeah, yeah, yeah. Kids think
they know everything.
Learning through play
It’s not in my makeup to be a quitter, so
I went back for more the next Saturday…
the next, and the next. Soon, muscles
lost their soreness and I was becom-
ing more limber. I was learning how to
“centre” my body and develop my “ki”
(inner energy) by doing deep abdominal
breathing. I learned how to fall, how to
roll out of harm’s way, and how to bring
an attacker off balance. Learning tech-
niques, of course, was the fun part.
Practice was imperative, but you needed
someone to practice with. Showing re-
spect, one would approach a fellow stu-
dent, bow slightly, and say, “Onegai-shi-
masu,” (pronounced owna-ge-shi-maas),
which translates to “I ask you please.”
This is an invitation to play on the mat
(“I ask you please to play with me”).
Can’t keep me down!
What was so amazing was the support
received from my much, much younger
fellow students. Every last one of them
was eager and willing to play with me,
and I don’t think any of them cut me any
slack. Over and over, they slammed me
to the mat and showed no mercy. They
wanted me to succeed, they wanted me
to look good, and they tested me on every
level. Sometimes, I silently begged for
mercy, but never would I have shared
such thoughts. If I had learned my les-
sons well, they couldn’t hurt me.
I earned my first belt, then my next, and
my next. Every accomplishment, every
promotion, was celebrated. My daughter
just happened to fly in for a visit the very
afternoon I was to test for a promotion,
so we went straight to the dojo from the
airport. For this promotion, the Sensei
teamed me with no less than three black
belts, two men and a woman, in a “ran-
dori” (freestyle defense against multiple
attackers). When I exited the mat, my
daughter had tears running down her
cheeks. “I am so proud of you.” Hey, I was
proud of myself! And, so, we celebrated.
When I reached retirement, I may have
stopped working but I continued to earn
belts in Aikido―right up to the day I left
town to begin my next journey: a full-
time life on the road, traveling in my RV.
No, I did not achieve the coveted black
belt, but the seven belts I did earn still
hang proudly with my “gi” (uniform).
It’s been 16 years since I was on a mat,
and I’ve no doubt in my mind that any
bad guy out there could over-power me
in an ugly situation. But, because of my
Aikido training those many years ago,
I am always aware of what’s happening
around me. Too, I believe the power of
surprise just might be on my side. Little
old ladies
can’t do that
, can they?
IT’S THE GREAT HALLOWEENIE!
The never-before-seen Great Halloweenie won first place in the Group Costume event at the Halloween Dance. Halloweenie heads
are: Chuck Shields (under hood), Carley Phillips, Lan Cunningham, George Riggs, Al Struble, Helen Shields, Dee Struble, Louise Phil-
lips, Ann Cunningham and Verda Conner.
PHOTO BY KATHRYN BYWATERS
