March 24, 2010
Ups and Downs in Krav and Life
We all have our ups and downs, I don't only mean good times and bad times, I mean times when we are busy, active, animated, constantly on the run, and times when we bottom out, slow down, catch up on paying the bills and pulling out weeds from the garden.
There is no doubt that both are necessary, that both are essential parts of life. On a weekly basis we have the Sabbath, a day to slow down a bit. During the course of the year we have various "holy" days, days set aside for prayer, contemplation, taking an inventory of our hectic lives. All this is essential, without it we would crash and burn.
"Up" times are fun and exciting. We might travel the world, meet exciting people, dine in restaurants and jet set around the world. "Down" times are not bad times, these are times that must follow, times to slow down, reflect, catch up.
It is the cycle that matters, the ebb and flow, the wave, the ups and downs. Just as night follows day and day follows night so must be go up and down. Let's cherish both sides of the flow, see each as essential and complimentary, not as opposites.
I love the feeling when the flight takes off: we are on our way. I also love the feeling when we are landing: we have arrived.
In our Krav Maga training there are those times when we finally "master" a technique, it becomes "ours" and we feel great. Then there are those times when suddenly we realize we don’t really know it well enough, we can't make it work under all and every circumstance. This is a "down" time but it is essential, for this is the time to reevaluate the technique, the training, our lives.
During these "down" Krav times we question, we doubt, we humble ourselves and become the beginner again. We become the empty cup, the new student eager to learn. Let's not be upset during these times, let's cherish them. Let us see them for the learning opportunity they are.
In life and in Krav there are times when things look bleak. Most often, later on, we see these as essential times of growth, of rejuvenation, of renewed understanding.
Welcome the cycle, embrace the cycle and you will be wiser and better off.