Slam, bam, Thank you, man

If you think this post is about sex, you might as well hit the "next blog" button at the top of the page, cause it's not.
It's about being grateful.
I went to the Dojo tonight. It’s been a while since I've had enough free time to be able to get away and get my head straightened out.
I study aikido and if all you know about it is the stuff that Steven Segall has shown you in the movies that you don't know much.
You can go to any website about the art and hear and see all kinds of wonderful things, but what seems to be missing from everything out there is the fact that you need a partner (called an UKE) to practice with.
Now when I first started, all I was interested in was learning to overcome and disable oppponents, read: kick the shit out of others spectacularly.
Over time things have changed. More than doing the throwing I have started to truly enjoy being thrown and more over helping those who have less experience in fighting to understand how the movements are used.
It seems masochistic but getting thrown is somewhat delightful. The feel of the mats and especially the continuity of another practitioner putting their moves on you is a blast.
I really enjoy trying to counter or resist the movements of my partner. Things suddenly turn serious and real education begins.
Tonight I was singled out three times by the Dojo-Cho. He's "The boss". Needless to say I got my ass kicked no matter what I did.
And I laughed the entire time. I guess it was his way of telling me that my attendance was lacking.
Bumping into people is what life is all about.
Getting out in the world and rolling with the good and bad that is served up to us is the fun part of it all