Again, just wanted to really thank Sensei Trish and Sempai Donna (also Sempai Wes!) for organizing and being the emcees of such a terrific Christmas celebration for the karate ministry members and their families. I actually think it was even more fun than last year, because there was more room for us to make fools of ourselves. Seriously, when I told the girls they didn’t have to go through so much effort…they said that they just wanted to bless everyone in the ministry, which they did! I think the fun, the food, the games, the conversation, and just the social interaction amongst everyone is so invaluable. Our members make up an unusually nice group of folks and when we’re busy training, we’re often separated into different groups by belt, skills, knowledge and age. Everyone kind of trains in their own “lane”. It’s such a great opportunity for these barriers to be broken down, and to get to know each other a little better. When I was a young teen training in Aikido back in the early 1960’s, even though I enjoyed the classes, some of the memories that stand out most to me are from the annual parties that the [...]

Sensei Trish and Sempai Donna are busy working on the Christmas party, so please keep your Sunday evening, 2 Dec open! It’ll be 2 Dec at Momilani Rec Center, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. -Potluck and BYO drinks -Bring grab bag gift per person (suggested $7-$10 range) -Agenda -4:30 pm – set up -5:00 pm – welcome and name tag registration -5:15 pm – Christmas carols and prayer for food -5:30 pm – EAT!! -6:15 pm – and the games begin… -7:15 pm – grab bag exchange -7:45 pm – everybody cleanup…yay!

This year, both Christmas Eve and New Years Eve fall on training days…so we will not have class on those days. Awwww!…yes, I know that there are some of you die-hards that actually hate to miss any training opportunity. Don’t forget, no training on Monday, 24 Dec and Monday, 31 Dec….enjoy your last day to shop for presents and popping firecrackers. You can take this break without feeling guilty, haha. What is a break anyway? We all know and have taken Spring Breaks, Winter Breaks, and Summer Breaks. Quite a few of us take coffee breaks….and fewer and fewer take smoke breaks these days. More specifically, a break means temporary…we intend to go back to school or back to work, after “the pause that refreshes”, haha. Why then, should we ever feel guilty about taking a break? And why don’t we say that we’re taking a shopping break, or a golfing break, or a eating good food break, or a watching television break? The truth is, one usually takes breaks from things that are kind of difficult or demanding or requires discipline. Doing an activity that is purely fun and relaxation doesn’t require these attributes…and we don’t really need a [...]