From The Chief Editor's Desk...

When we took the kids to their first session, Ryan was gung-ho. Lexi however, went kicking and screaming. She kept saying “but I want to do dance!” We told her it was a lot like a dance, and that she should give it a try. And, once she tried it, she loved it. Now, both kids are eager for the twice-a-week lessons, and can’t wait to get in there and learn new karate moves. Lexi has even recruited her best friend from school to join her in the karate lessons.

Sitting on the sidelines watching the kids, I started thinking that maybe this was my opportunity to also learn karate. I had always wanted to learn it, but when I was growing up, my folks could never afford it. I also couldn’t afford it when I moved out on my own, either. Unbeknownst to me, my wife was thinking the same thing. So, we inquired about signing up for the senior’s program (for those 18 years of age and older … yep …. I qualify).

So, my wife and I started the program in May. It has been fun … and challenging. All through school in my younger years, I was the prototypical “nerd,” always opting for more “cerebral” pursuits. I had not even had a PE class past the seventh grade. I was the school newspaper and yearbook photographer who took pictures of the other students who were participating in sports (and other things). So, it was a HUGE adjustment for me, never having been involved in ANY kind of organized physical fitness program, much less one as regimented as karate classes.

After a couple of weeks, my wife and I earned our white belts. A few months later, we tested for our gold belts (the belt ranks are white, gold, orange, purple, blue, green, brown (three tiers), and black (10 tiers)). We are both now working towards our orange belts.

The owner and master instructor at our school is an 8th degree black belt, working towards his 9th degree black belt. His instructors range from blue belts up to 4th degree black belts. Our instructors have been very patient with us, as we get used to the program and as we overcome the obstacles we have inflicted upon ourselves.

At 65 years old, I am one of the oldest students in the school, so I also have to deal with problems that many of the younger students don’t have to contend with. For me, a huge one is arthritis from my toes to my neck. When I was in elementary and middle school, I was a literal sit-up machine. Now, thanks to the arthritis, I can’t even do one legitimate, proper sit-up. I replace the sit-ups (with my instructor’s approval) with abdominal crunches. It also doesn’t help that I seem to have an advanced case of CRS when it comes to karate class. Replace “stuff” in the “polite” version that I linked to with another word that’s a common slang term that smells bad and begins with “S” to grasp my intended meaning.

One of the things that I noticed early on when taking the kids to their lessons are all of the inspirational and motivational messages that line the walls of the dojo. While some are focused on karate, most of them are messages that are applicable to many different facets of life. So, our newest monthly column, “Inspiration & Motivation,” reproduces many of those messages for the readers of this magazine. You’ll be seeing them in the months to come. I have enough to last for quite a few years, in fact. I wanted to find a way to share these impactful messages with our readers.

This month’s cover features an image from Pixabay artist Gordon Johnson. I found it fitting to usher in the New Year.

Until next month, I bid you peace, happiness, serenity, prosperity, and continued good health!