The path od 10 000 steps

[Gogor]

I start again. In my old log, you can see my history.

Now I start over, I start again.

 

I hope to post my progression here, and discuss these questing matters with fellow rebels.

So, I'll start by this poem:

 

"Woods are lovely,

Dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

and miles to go before I sleep..."

 

[Gogor]

Well, my morning stretch and workout rutine is going well so far. I'm glad it has become a ROUTINE.

 

And I'm back in my aikido dojo.

After some 5 months of absence, I got really anxious about coming back to the tatami.

My brain was doing super crazy thought cycles, like :"I'm out of shape. What if I make a mistake and everyone laughs at me and points. What if I hurt someone or myself. What if my fellow students started to resent me. What if my sensei hates me now for being absent so long, and says to me that I have offended the him, and the dojo, ans the spirit od aikido founder O'Sensei, and kicks my ass and throws me out. What if ailiens take over the earth. Awww, I'm screwed!"

 

So I just got my "20 seconds of courage" and I get my kimono and go there.

 

And all of my fellow aikidoka friends are thrilled to see me and greet me with joy. Nice. And when I meet my sensei, he smiles, and gives me a hug. A HUG. And says that they all missed me and they are so glad that I'm back. And that makes me feel like a million bucks. And later makes me feel ache all over and smile a lot. I'm back i the dojo. And I'm happy.

 

[Gogor]

A helpfull idea comes from the great teacher and philosophy professor mr. Bruce Lee: "True mastery of any sort is not constantly adding content. It is the ability to cut out what is useless, and polish what is usefull."

 

I cut out carbonated drinks, and am focusing on coffee, tea and water. And I'll use this insight to apply to many other things as well.

 

[Gogor]

So this year, focusing on:

 

BASICS

 

1. leading a simpler life ( there was a youtube video of a same name that really resonated with me )

2. including more primal and natural movement in my workout routine

3. enjoying a more basic & steady diet, and develop my cooking skills further

 

[Gogor]

Long time - no post!

So, now: let's update.

 

Good stuff:

Aikido practice couple a times each week.

Mov nat here and there, and incorporated it into my Morning Routine.

Morning Routine is still sticking with me: every morning stretch, natural movements, a bit of body weight exercises (push ups, crunches, squats, dips)

No sodas & carbonated drinks - just coffee, water and juices here and there.

 

Bad stuff:

I just had a sore throat infectious angina in my throat, that required 2 week  antibiotics treatment.  Suck.

Have had my fill of too much chocolate cake on Easter / Oestra celebrations.

 

Awesome stuff:

Went to an awesome aikido seminar by sensei / doshu Yoshigasaki Kenjiro . What an awesome monk experience!

 

And now? Spring time! Moving forward and growing time!

 

 

 

[Gogor]

So tired.

Sometimes, so tired.

Wake up in the morning and go to work, then hold lessons in English language for kids, then rest for half an hour, then go to the aikido practice, then take the bus home and fall asleep on the bus, then finally come home, cook and clean a bit, then bed. Day in day out. And still feeling guilty for not doing more, for not working out more. But when ? 

[Gogor]

Summer is here. Finally. And it's hot and humid, down here in Croatia.

Still sticking to my morning routine. And I added this little bundle of joy to it:

 

 

So I get to lift and play around with 16kg each morning.

[Gogor]

Gonna start a new addition to my workouts: the path of the shadow warrior.

The Shinobi no mono.

Yup, that's right. The path of the NINJA!

 

 

Why? Because I frikkin' love ninjas. I loved them since my childhood. I loved them ever since I have seen the Awesome Ninja Super Movie  (and yes, I know that reveals how old I actually am. Shut up.) So, that's why I have started my journey into martial arts. As I mentioned in my previous personal quest post:

 

" I'm a martial arts geek, too. Ever since I saw Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon and Michael Dudikoff in American Ninja, I was hooked for life. So I started shotokan karate when I was 7, but didn't like to compete (being somewhat insecure), so turned to Aikido, and found myself later in Shorin Kempo (where I got my bleck belt).  I was doing wing chun kung fu, and it is awesome and was a huge part of my life. Got back to aikido, and what can I say... I'm in love with that stuff."

 

As far as my ninjutsu experience goes, I was not so lucky: at first- there were no ninjutsu schools in my local town. Then after, I have found one, but was already a member of another dojo. Then, after quite a while, I found a dojo ( Genbukan Mangetsu Dojo in Zagreb, Croatia), and have trained there for couple of months. But it was costly a bit (not really a problem) and also really far away from my home, and from my working place. So I turned to aikido (price is reasonable, sensei is awesome, art is beautiful, dojo is near).

 

And to incorporate ninjutsu in my daily life, I have found some online help:

 

I joined the Natori ryu online, lead by Mr. Anthony Cummins, and got some of the books he translated. Those are ninja training manuals from the past called the Bansenshukai.

 

I am also following the instructional videos from youtuber called Chosun Ninja, Mr. Greg Park. He is somewhat controversial figure in the online ninja community, but I find his videos cool and instructional, and I quite like some of his ninja stuff.

 

Finally, I have bought ninja home training DVD compilation from sensei Richard J. Van Donk on the local flea market ( for a price of a sandwich! ) and will use it to my advantage.

 

Even got some friends to help me out.

Feeling really hyped about this.

Gonna post more later on how it all goes.

 

Arigato gozai mass!

[Gogor]

Still sticking to it.

 

Every morning, stretching and some yoga. Need to do it, or my back will crack - I'm a kindergarten teacher, so there is a lot of movement and bending down - picking up stuff involved. My body is my tool.

Every day some exercise: if not martial arts, then kettlebell. Or strength routine. Or natural movements outside. Or just walking for 30 minutes.

Every day, thinking what I eat. I cut out milk, too. Watched a show where a doctor said that drinking milk is not really good for persons of my age (35.).

 

Back to the dojo soon. Kind of feel bad that I couldn't attend the month there were tests, so I didn't get to level up. Gotta wait for the next time exams. Hoping to be ready. Keep on keeping on.

 

 

 

[Gogor]

Got the new space for my gym! Awesome! Along with my stuff ( punching bags, focus mitts, weapons), there's a lot of other stuff ( weigts, ketlebells, barbells, dumbbells, etc) that I can use!

[Gogor]

Oh, how long ago have I written all of this...

[Gogor]

It was so long ago, and so many things happened.

...

...well, I left my old working place, and got a better job. was not easy, but did it!

my wife got her big promotion, and now is a big boss at work!

we got a loan from the bank and have bought a french car. I call him Red.

I started doing a lot of additional work in local community , teaching kids to role play.

...

and I really really tried to have my own dojo, but it went bust.

I put op the posters monthly, I invited people regularly, I made ads and stuff,

I paid the gym on time (and my friend the gym owner was more than cool about it), worked

hard there 3 times a week, even if alone. and all I achieved to do is to attract two

high-schoolers (a dude and his girlfriend). then they broke up, so she stopped

coming. then he stopped coming too.

 

later on I have discovered that he is a juvenile

delinquent who got into frequent fights and was under police monitoring, that

he came up from a broken home and that in the small time that he has spent in the

dojo, he was actually getting better in other aspects of life, but then he had to move to another

city. so my dojo had no students, and we closed down. I live in a small

town where only interests for martial arts are by kids (karate, judo, taekwondo ),

teenagers (MMA, boxing, krav maga, BJJ), and are all focused on competition, and,

since my club did not provide that, I was not as interesting and went under.

 

I wallowed in my disappointing for a bit, but decided that I got another experience, and went on

with my life. My working schedule was still intense. I discovered a local tai chi school in the nearby

school gym, and went for it. It was cool and I learned a lot. To do tai chi from my perspective was

illuminating - each graceful movement is actually a fighting technique intended to strike, take down,

hold or brake your opponent(s) - yet it looks so graceful and tranquil. I did that for a year, and then

it was summer brake, and we had no classes up until this fall when they are starting again.

 

by then, I have put on the efforts to find a better job, got it, finished my resigning work period in my

old work, and started anew on the new place- a new kindergarten. working hours are better, collegues

are okay, kids in my group are okay. and also, as I have mentioned before: I started doing a lot of additional

work in local community , teaching kids to role play. doing this with my friends from a local community center.

 

trouble is, I fell off the wagon. Still have my mourning routine workout, but have neglected my food choices,

my martial arts workout, and I'm getting low-spirited. I have to begin again. and again. and again. and like phoenix,

rise from "the ashes" of my procrastination, and again sail the skies.  As soon as I find the answer:

 

Why does the phoenix chase the sun?

 

 

 

 

It is in his nature.