HIS Karate-Do

One of my favorite movies is the Bill Murray comedy, “Groundhog Day”. You know; the one that keeps on having the same scenes repeat again and again, but a little different each time? If you’ve ever seen it, it’s about the protagonist (Murray) getting stuck into reliving the same day again and again for what must have been many years. It’s funny and entertaining – and yet, thought-provoking on many different levels. He starts out, realizing that he’s trapped into repeating the same day in a little town, and each time that the clock clicks to 06:00 am, the entire day restarts again, no matter what has occurred during the previous 24 hours. How long he’s trapped in that one day is anyone’s guess (my feeling is many decades, possibly a hundred years or more). Along the way, he goes from frustration, to trying to get rid of himself in desperation (doesn’t work), to exploring different uses/abuses of power, to trying to get a gal he loves to fall for him (doesn’t work)…to finally accepting his situation and seeing the opportunity that has been presented to him. He moves from being self-centered to caring for those around him. He realizes [...]

Just a quick reminder that we’re fortunate to have Sensei Ed Fujiwara visit us on Saturday, 1 June as guest instructor.  Sensei Ed was my teacher from the mid-eighties through the mid-nineties.  Sensei Trisha was also lucky enough to train under him during those years.  In turn, for four decades, Sensei Ed was a personal student of the late and legendary Master Tetsuhiko Asai, one of the most gifted karateka the world has ever known.  Whenever Sensei Ed shares some of his great karate knowledge, he is also sharing some of the unique insights that he gained during his long association with his mentor and friend, Master Asai.  Any of you who have spent time with him knows that a session with Sensei Ed, is never a “usual day at training”, haha. On that Saturday, please come early – I always arrive well before our 09:00 am start time, but inevitably, find Sempai James, Sensei Ed, and Sensei Ed’s father, already dressed and warming up for class. Blessings, Wes

As we welcome in the brand year of 2013, it is filled, both with a sense of anticipation on what the new year brings for us all, as well as a natural reflection on how we did in the old year, 2012.  Every new day, of course, is really kind of a repeat of past days – it is how we view and treat it, what we do with it, that makes all the difference.  In the case of the first day of the new year, we each realize that this is something special. I suppose that I’m kind of lucky to be one of those who has a nearly continuous memory of major and mundane events in one’s life, going back to around 3-4 years old.  Oh, I don’t remember every little detail, but similar to recalling what happened last year, I have decent memories back to around 1955.  I have read somewhere that lying dormant in our brains, are organic bytes ready to relive every memory of every moment of our lives – the challenge is being able to locate the information.  Eidetic (or photographic) memory must be an amazing gift – but then, you’d also remember all of the junk stuff too, haha.  [...]