Wow, it’s hard to believe, but it’s already June and summer is truly here. There was a time, years ago, when I spent virtually every Saturday morning at the beach in Mokuleia, from around 5:30 am till around 09:00 am. For a few years there, I was really “hooked” on fishing. The kind I did is called “whipping”, which means I would use a plastic little curlytail on a tiny hook, and whip the rod back and forth, trying to make the lure appear to be a struggling little shrimp. I would spend several hours in this fashion, walking in the sand, casting, retrieving, and on ocassion, hooking up with a small papio or moana, or possibly a lai. It was great… I felt communion with Him, enjoying the beautiful world He created, feeling and hearing the gentle waves wash across my feet. The early morning sun felt great on my skin, and I would walk the equivalent of several miles on the sand. By 09:00 am, the heat differential between the air over the shore and the ocean would become great enough to start up the tradewinds, significantly reducing my chances of catching fish with my little rig and method, and that would signal that it was time to go home and do yardwork.

I effectively stopped whipping in 1992 when we opened the SKC dojo, since it conflicted with my Saturday karate classes, and ever since, I’ve spent my Saturday mornings this way. Looking back, I am so fortunate, instead, to be doing something that allows me to meet and share with people, an activity that can have such a positive impact upon their lives. Sure, I could be sleeping in, or watching tv, or reading the paper on Saturday mornings, but I’d much rather be at the ministry, in fellowship with my karate ohana. Once in a while, people will ask me, “Don’t you get tired of teaching karate after all of these years?” The answer is a resounding “No!” I really enjoy helping the students making progress, one step at a time. I also reap great personal benefits: in our open pavillion, I get to enjoy the sights and sounds of His creation, I get to to stretch my aging joints and muscles thoroughly, work up a light sweat, and walk the equivalent of several miles. As with fishing, the time spent in karate, is one of immersion; where all the problems of the day vanish, and one feels closer to a greater power.

Has karate ever helped me in a potentially dangerous situation? Why yes, though not in the way I ever expected. Over the past 36 years, there were three times I almost fell (am I the only one?). Except, each of these were fairly spectacular, since a pair of slippery shoes on wet surfaces made my whole body fly up into the air. Twice, I was actually maybe 10 feet above the ground…. once, while on a stairwell at UH, and once, on the Ala Moana Shopping Center escalator by Center Stage. In those two cases, I was descending on a step and flipped up, soaring, to land several steps below. In all three cases, I landed solidly on one foot, just like Mr Miyagi in “The Karate Kid” performing the “crane technique”. My only problem was that two of these incidents were in public, where the people around me must have thought I was doing some kind of stunt, as I would continue walking, trying to be nonchalant. I am totally convinced that it was the automatic response learned from years of training. I was certainly saved from serious injury to my head and body… thank the Lord! Yes, karate can benefit one in truly unexpected ways.

I want to thank everyone in the ministry for being there for me… you truly are my accountability partners. Without your attendence all of these years, I could never have committed to keep on showing up for training. I thank you, and the fish thank you.