The martial arts continue to teach me how to be in balance in this most precarious place. Aikido, Tai Chi, Karate, TaeKwon Do, Jujitsu, Ninjitsu. My Sensei Owen taught me how to be a dancer in the dance… a swimmer in the swim. I thought Speed,Power, Endurance were the highest athletic ideals. He says the goals are suppleness, balance, flexibility. If you think about it those are the highest ideals of human existence. Feel a cat’s muscles… they are soft, pliable, lean. Watch a sleepy cat awaken from his nap to fall immediately from a height. Is there anything more graceful… more efficient… more in tune with the surrounding world? They land on their feet every time. Two seconds later they are licking their whiskers, watching motes of dust sworling in the sunbeam. Cat’s are naturals. I aspire to embody their samurai insouciance.
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