Blood, Sweat and Tears

They are told it will be hard, possibly the most challenging thing they have ever done or will do. They are told it will be long, 12 to 16 hours to be exact. They are told it will be rough, possibly resulting in cuts, bruises, bleeding, even broken bones or a concussion. They might be scared, but they are ready, and they are strong. They are the amazing people who test for a Black Belt in martial arts, who work hard and use all that they have, their strength, skill, determination, discipline, heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears to earn the rank of First Dan. Today, my brother Austin, 15 years old and 7 years of karate strong, earned that impressive rank, and became Sensei Austin. I am beyond proud of him and I know that rest of our family, as well as his karate instructors, feel the same way.

Austin started karate, excited and enthusiastic, wearing his first gi, all white and with a white belt. Over the last seven years, we have seen his natural talent manifest itself, his skills become honed and his confidence, strength, and "inner black belt" shine. He carries himself with the confidence of someone who knows he is strong, mentally and physically and and as his studio's Student Creed says, with a positive attitude. He has developed into not only a student of his chosen art, but a teacher as well, setting an example for other students as well as for others around him in his everyday life.

After a grueling 2 day test of not only his strength and skill , but his discipline, his desire, and his character, Austin is an official Black Belt, proudly the rank of First Dan. His body is bruised and sore and his mind is exhausted, but he stands tall, proud of what he has accomplished at the age of 15. Proud probably doesn't describe what our parents, grandparents, and other brother feel, but whatever it is that we feel for him today, we all show it with huge smiles and lots of hugs for our newest Sensei.

There is another someone special who is also feeling extra proud today, Austin's teacher, Sensei Amy. She is a wonderful woman, someone I am lucky to know. Amy is an amazing karate instructor, but is so much more to many of her students. As she said at the ceremony today, through tears of joy and pride, her students, the other instructors, and so many of us as well, are like family. She supports her students as well as their families as they journey towards their karate goals. She definitely looked proud to present Austin with his Black Belt today, and I know he was proud to have earned it alongside her.

There may have been more bruises and scrapes, rather than blood, but I know both sweat and tears flowed freely over the last 2 days. Sweat from hard work, sweat of anticipation, tears of pain, tears of frustration, tears of pride, tears of exhaustion, tears of joy. I am so proud of Austin and his accomplishments. He is truly strong in so many ways. Here's to you Sensei Austin!

Don't Get Too Comfortable....

At church this past Sunday, Fr. Bob spoke about stepping outside your comfort zone. I felt as if he was talking to me specifically. You see, I spent three days last week outside of my comfort zone. I put myself there. I wanted to be there. I was part of a small group that trained to facilitators on the new High Ropes course at camp. I was excited and nervous at the same time, having no clue what to expect. Unlike the other participants, I had never been on or even looked at a high ropes course and was feeling a little overwhelmed at the beginning. I can’t say it was completely the heights, but frankly, 20 or 40 feet in the air, standing on a wire or a teeny tiny platform, scary. The course was mentally challenging, even more so than physically. I made the choice to take that training and wanted to squeeze every drop of experience out of it that I could.



There were people in the group I knew, people I didn’t, people I felt super comfortable with and trusted, and others I wasn’t so sure about. Trust is not something I can give on a whim. I don’t want to be preachy and say that you have to earn my trust, yadda yadda, but honestly, I had a hard time just putting my life in someone’s hands right away. Saying to someone, “Yes, go ahead, clip me into these cables and I’ll just trust you” or “Sure, I’ll stand on this platform with you and trust you to send me down the zip line” or “Uh, okay, I’ll climb this wall and let you control the ropes that keep me from plummeting to the ground,” not so easy. It was a completely different world up there, at least the view I had. It was new, it was scary, it was challenging to the body. I had muscles that hurt that I didn’t know I had, I had scrapes and bruises, I had a thumb that was still healing that got pushed to it’s limits and perhaps beyond.


Going beyond what we perceive to be our limits is not easy at all. As humans we like to comfortable, we find our circle, our niche, the places and people we feel at ease with, and we tend to stick with that. Some people are brave souls, living life outside that circle, or perhaps with no circle at all. It is a challenge and a choice to step outside that comfort zone, to take a leap of faith (though often not so literal of a leap), and try something new. Climbing the wall, riding the zip line, traversing elements suspended in the air, none of these things fall within my comfort zone. I stepped outside, took some deep breaths, and went for it, did the best I could, and told myself that trying something new, taking the challenge, already means I succeeded. I may not have been the best at doing the tasks, but I did the best I could.


It was odd to sit in church, where, to be completely honest, I am not always listening, and feel like someone was talking to me. I know Fr. Bob wasn’t, but relating what he was saying to what I had experienced for three days, was interesting. I can’t say the moment was particularly religiously significant, but rather personally significant. It was a moment when the term, a leap of faith, took on some new meaning for me. I literally had leapt and had to have faith, not only in myself, but others. Faith and trust went hand in hand, and thankfully, those were strong hands!


What have you done that has put you outside your comfort zone? How did you feel afterwards?

Raise Your Glass

Today I turn 28. Not an exceptionally exciting age. 28 does not bring something new, like the excitement of getting your license at 16, being able to vote at 18,or being able to legally drink at 21, or even something like the cost of car insurance going down at age 25. On the other hand, it does not have a particularly negative connotation, such as how some people feel about turning 30 or 40 or 50. It's just another age, a step that officially moves me from my mid-twenties to my late-twenties. Twenty-eight, does anyone make a huge deal out of age 28? I'm not quite sure to be honest.


Another birthday has come and like many people, I catch myself thinking about what I have accomplished, what I haven't accomplished. Let's see:

          1. I have a college degree (perhaps not one that in an area that is particularly useful right now, but I am educated and that is more than some people can say)

          2. I have a job, a job that I love. (Again, more than a lot of people can say)

          3. I have moved away and lived on my own. (Arizona was quite a distance away from little Springfield, IL, but I went and gave it my best shot. It might not have been the right city for me, but it is an experience I am glad that I had.)

          4. I have traveled. (Most people can't say that their first plane ride was an overseas flight to Europe and I am lucky that I can. I have been lucky enough to travel to several countries, seeing amazing sites and falling in love with the cultures, the people, the languages, the food, the beauty, the experience of travel in general. Now, I just wish to do more of this!)

          5. I have loved and been loved. (I am not talking about a great love with a significant other, but rather the fact that I am loved by family, loved by my dear friends, and love them just as much. I enjoy the connection with others, the warm, fuzzy, happy feeling I get when I tell a good friend how much I miss them or write them that I am thinking of them that day, the feeling I get when my parents or grandparents tell me that they are proud of me, the little kid hugs and kisses from my niece and nephew.)

To many people, these may not seem like big accomplishments, but to me they are just right, they are the things that matter. Perhaps what I have done does not shine like the things others have accomplished by age 28, but you can decide for yourself. By age 28:

          1. The Danish physicist Niels Bohr had published his revolutionary theory of the atom.

          2. County music star Brad Paisley became the youngest member of the Opry.

          3. Tchaikovsky was enjoying fame after composing "Romeo and Juliet."

          4. Speed skater Bonnie Blair had won 3 Olympic Gold Medals.

          5. Mary Shelley had written and published her famous novel, "Frankenstein."

          6. Audrey Hepburn had won the Oscar for "Roman Holiday."

          7. Amelia Earhart became the 16th woman ever to be issued a pilot's license.

These are some amazing feats and have to say that my ambitions, while perhaps not made of things that will be bring me international fame and fortune, are things that are important to me, things that are powered by the things I have already accomplished. I plan to celebrate in a rather low-key way, dinner and drinks with friends and a small family celebration. It is perfect for me, a celebration that will find me surrounded by many of those that hold dear (those of you who are not here in person are definitely with me in spirit). Nothing flashy about it, but you can bet that the soles I wear will be!

As Pink says in her new song, "...raise your glass." Here's to 28, a year that I intend to fill with lots of soul, and plenty of new soles!