Priorities

The thing with Aikido is, if it is to do you any good, it has to be as much of a priority as any other workout routine, but at the same time, life has a way of getting in the way. There’s work. There are family commitments. In my case, there are deadlines (ah, the life of a freelancer – one deadline after another.) I’ve long struggled trying to balance my day job, freelancing, school, family, and aikido.

Not too long ago, Lenore Sensei (yes, I know it’s more properly Killam Sensei, but I’ve called her Lenore Sensei almost since I started training under her) took me aside and said her Sensei had always told them that the priorities, in order, were: 1) Family, 2) Work, 3) Aikido.

These days, I’ve been keeping that list in mind as I keep everything moving forward. I also remind myself that there are ways to practice Aikido that don’t take place on the mat, too. There are ways to pay it forward that don’t have to take place at certain times. This blog, for example. It’s something I can do for the club any time, even when I’m not available to be tossed about by my practice partners. Granted, blogging is no substitute for pinning six foot tall, muscular men to the mat, but, nonetheless, it’s something that I can do for the club when the rest of life is going a little bit crazy.