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.  [...]

I sometimes compare the open pavilion where we conduct our karate training to working out in a park.  All around us are trees, open green space, complete with sun, tradewinds, and singing birds.  Of course, it’s not quite the same as training out on the grass – and there is a group that does use those environs for just such a purpose.  Every once in a while, on an early weekend morning, I’ll be driving past some quiet park and notice a group of folks slowly moving about in what appears to be synchronized dance.  Generally, they’ll be dressed in regular, comfortable clothing, with an average age demographic that is several decades removed from high school.  You’ve probably seen such groups in the park before – you know them – the tai chi practitioners. Let’s face it, many of us think of tai chi as some “old folks” activity, usually found in such parks, community center elderly programs, or hospital rehab programs.  The truth is, it’s a very excellent program for conditioning, mind-body-chi development, cultural appreciation, and especially for the elderly – aids in fall protection.  It also seems to be on the opposite end of the martial arts spectrum [...]

I suppose that my greatest past-time for enjoyment, based upon the number of hours I spend doing it each week is…reading.  A form of relaxation/development that I’m sure is shared with many in our group.  I do have a bad habit of reading, perhaps, a half-dozen books simultaneously.  No, I don’t have multiple books open, reading them together, like those chess masters who play multiple game boards with multiple opponents, haha.  It’s more like watching various TV series in a given night or week.  I’ll pick up one book and read a score of pages one night, and the next night, I’ll do the same with one or two others.  I think that many folks have a hard time keeping up with what’s going on in any particular book if they put it down for a week or two.  Like I said, for me, it’s no different than watching a continuing episode of Hawaii 5-0, then switching to Last Man Standing and finishing up with the news. Anyways, my usual areas of interest are: history, science, social science, etc.  About the only fiction I read is the type that got me started on reading back when I was about 10 [...]