45 Years of Practice
Recently I attended Kokikai Aikido Winter Camp. This is always an amazing experience, in which some 300 students of Maruyama Sensei convene to practice under his tutelage. This year was especially memorable as we celebrated the 45th anniversary of Sensei bringing his practice to Philadelphia . Several of the students who attended the gala celebration have been practicing with Sensei for 30, 40, even all 45 of those 45 years. I was struck, before and after the event, how few people really stick with anything for 45 years . And even if they keep doing the same thing, how many people continue to have enthusiasm and dedication to growing and challenging themselves ? In our jobs, in our hobbies, most of us move on to something else, or we "burn out," "tread water," 'til retirement time. That is not the case with Sensei, and it's not the case with his students. Looking back at the endeavors I have tried and left behind, in each there has come a point where...