She does karate

Those who know me might know that I “do karate”. Many might think it’s a bunch of people dressed up in pajamas that do some fancy dancy kicking and flips while making a lot of funny noises. Or a bunch of people with an affinity towards reenacting scenes from the oh so awesome Karate Kid.

So.... no. That’s not what I do. I typically don’t say much about how I really feel or what I really do when it comes to this subject because, for most, “she does karate” is really all that anyone cares to hear.

Today, I felt like I should note: I don’t do fancy dancy kicking. I don’t do flips. I don’t do kicks to your head while yelling ‘Hi-yah’ in your face. I don’t assess my ability by the number and size of tournament trophies I have. I don’t want to fight you so you can see if I can kick your ass. I don’t do the Daniel-san crane stance while you come running at me to punch my lights out. I don’t take rank as the gospel of anyone’s abilities. I don’t register my hands with the local authorities.

Perhaps today I felt like saying this because I might be tired of people running around saying ‘Oh, be careful of her - she’s a black belt’. It’s a major damper on the dating scene! Allow me to quote myself “pfffffffffffffffffffffffft!! that don’t mean shit.” Did you know that the true meaning of a black belt is a beginner student who just never gave up on learning more? I’ll also note - I am, by all means, not some skilled Mortal Kombat fighter chic with great hair. I am merely a little Vietnamese cookie who can cook your rice and put soy sauce on it! (Inside joke - very few will understand!!!)

So what do I “do”? I train in life protection. I train in knowing who I am. I train in finding awareness. I train in the way of the warrior (Budo). I’m just a beginner in this journey.