Aikido class, as usual, is nourishing. All that aikido I did in my twenties in San Francisco, it has all been stored in my body and I haven't lost it. Bob Nadeau, my teacher, didn't teach us much technique--he just wanted to understand the essence of aikido. Here in Taiwan, they focus more on technique, which I like. I can focus more on the technique while I practice what Bob taught me back in California.
As in the States, we aikidoka are all brothers and sisters, and there is a palpable feeling of warmth among us. After class, I find out I passed my belt test on Saturday. I am now 3rd kyu (you start at 6th kyu), and will have another two tests before I test for black belt. I'll get a nice fresh green belt on Saturday.
I have been a hardcore test taker (as my friends in California know well) for the past five years, having just graduated from Chinese Medicine school and gotten my license to practice. But somehow, I don't remember experiencing as much joy as I do now about having "passed" this test. It's not about "passing" at all. I've missed aikido, and I'm practicing it again in a serious way.
It's a homecoming.
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