Goodbye, 2020!

Now... with a lockdown having started in the third month of this year, carefully adapting to each new stage of our protracted state of emergency and having to get used to a new job that just about takes up all of my time these days- we woke up one morning and found that this entire year had passed.

So- what have you done during all this time? Have you put off all commitments and plans for when things start looking better?

If you have I would not judge you or blame you. Hell- I remember seeing on Facebook how quiet the "Law of Attraction" group had become when the shit had really hit the fan. Faith seemed to have been in short supply.

The people that had really kept me going were those who had suddenly begun doing what I had been doing for the last 30-odd years- exercising in their own yards...

Martial arts may contain mostly techniques for fighting opponents in the physical realm, but my biggest hope for any martial arts student is that he or she cultivates an indomitable warrior spirit. This kind of spirit does not only see us through a one-on-one confrontation with a human opponent, but also through family crises, financial stress, stressful home and work environments and all other generally bad times.

It was this spirit that had teachers starting to teach online when classes could no longer be presented at their dojos. It was this spirit that had athletes jogging in their own yards and working out new exercise regimes to adapt to the confines of where they had to stay.

It was also this spirit that had businesses come up with new products and services that could be offered when the lockdown prevented them from doing business as usual.

As I sit here typing this blog, I am still thinking of the work that lies ahead for me at the office as this December there will not be any closing two weeks before Christmas. We have, after all, been away from work for 3 months...

My dearest Xiaowei works in the beauty industry, an industry that was barred from operating for four months. What I am really grateful for was that the restrictions on travel within our province got lifted a bit before she had to return to work. 

Even though we will both be working throughout this month we have the memory of trips that we had taken together to some of the most beautiful parts of our region. We also had more quality time together than we are likely to ever have again...

The thing is- if you fight with the aim to avoid getting hit you are not going to win.

Fights are won by taking every opportunity to strike that presents itself.

Sure- this year had a lot of what we will not ever want. Still- our focus should be on creating the life that we want for ourselves.

I wish everyone of you who reads this a blessed Christmas and a far better year ahead than the one that we are leaving behind.

Osu!