Way back, when I started studying martial arts, I enrolled in a local Tae Kwon Do school. I don’t recall exactly what got me interested in martial arts. Most likely it was Chuck Norris or Bruce Lee flicks as I recall thinking class would get bigger after Karate Kid was released. Maybe it was Dungeons & Dragons...
Taking that step into something new was a lesson that stuck with me. The extent of understanding that lesson didn’t come until later. I remained with that school until I was almost a purple belt. Then my instructor closed down and left the country to pursue other things.
I stopped training, but the seed was planted.
When I was in college I took up Tae Kwon Do again as an elective course for P.E. I enjoyed the instructor and the class. Once again, it didn’t last. Primarily, as it was only a semester and being the rash youth I was, I wasn’t looking for something more at the time.
The seed still needed germination.
A few years later, I made the decision that I needed to become active again. Somehow, as luck would have it, a new martial arts school opened up down the street. I signed up and started down that path again.
The seed took root.
Some things in life that have moment when the time is right. This was that moment for me. Everything started to click and deep down, I knew this was the path for me. The arts of Kali and Pencak Silat reflect who I am, and Gung Fu was a fun technical art to learn. That balance helped me grow.
I haven’t stopped learning or exploring and still am on that path. I look forward to the crossroads where new things can be introduced or my view becomes more clear-focused. It all goes back to when the seed was planted. When I took that first step. When I started studying martial arts. When I got my white belt. That started it all. That’s the belt that matters.
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