Taking on New Challenges

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At the age of 36 I decided to try training in the martial arts.

There was an aikido class offered at my local Y.  I loved it. I loved the fact that even a small person could throw someone big.  I loved the underlying principles. I was in great shape, I loved doing my part to become a better uke, learning to fall safely, no matter how hard I was thrown.

I was, and continue to be, very inspired by the founder of my aikido school, Shuji Maruyama Sensei. He often talks about the fact that Kokikai Aikido gives us a path that helps us continue to grow throughout our lifetimes. When the Olympics are taking place or during baseball playoff season, he often points to the short careers of athletes: most sports don't have world-class competitors who are over 40, or even over 30.

At some point when he was in his mid-sixties, Sensei made a comment that, "At my age, most people are retired and sitting around in a rocking chair!" Then we watched him fold a 280-lb. guy into a piece of origami with no apparent effort. Years later, he is still going strong - even getting better.

At the age of 54 I decided to learn to play the violin.

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