Looking Back on 16 Days

Well, this post is a bit late, I meant to have it up on Sunday, but Monday will have to do.

If you’ve been reading regularly, you know that I just completed my own personal sort of 16-day Aikido Intensive. I was on my own for 16 days, so free to ignore the niceties of civilized life. Like sitting down to meals. Or having conversations. I took the opportunity to do as much Aikido as possible, to see what that would be like.

It was a sort of vacation for me – not from work (there was plenty of work done), but a vacation from normal daily life. It was a personal challenge. Could I do that many classes? Could I keep myself healthy and sound? It was a trial run, and practice, for a 4-day seminar I’ll be doing in January. It was a great opportunity, to do such a variety of classes, and gain so much experience in such a short time. It was a learning experience, in which I discovered a lot about myself. It was hard. And it was a tremendous amount of fun.

Committing to being in classes every evening meant leaving work an hour early every day. That meant getting in an hour early (and I am not a morning person). It meant kicking butt during the time I had available. And I did it. The work got done, and done well.

I learned that sleep, and days off to rest and reflect, are critical, as is eating well, both for physical endurance and healing, and for being able to mentally absorb what I was learning. I need time for lessons to sink in – time to think about what I’ve learned.

Like any adventure, I’m glad I did it, I’m glad it’s over, and I’ll miss it. Tonight will be the first night since the 5th that I could go to class, but won’t. I’ll be tending to my horse’s injured hoof, having dinner with my husband, maybe doing a bit of reading, and getting a good night’s sleep. But I’ll also be very aware of what I’m missing, and feeling a little sad about that.

Would I do it again? Not next week, no. Exactly the same way? No. But would I do it again? Hell yes.