Not to date anyone, but do you remember the following scene from the 1984 hit, Karate Kid? New student, Daniel Laruso asks his teacher, Mr. Miyagi
Daniel: Hey, what kind of belt do you have?
Miyagi: Canvas. JC Penney, $3.98. You like?
Daniel: [laughs] No, I meant…
Miyagi: In Okinawa, belt mean no need rope to hold up pants.
Several months ago when I tested for 3 Kyu (Brown Belt), someone tagged a Facebook picture of me receiving my promotion. The following Monday, one of the security personnel in our building stopped me in the hall and said “Hey, you got a new belt?” Without thinking, I looked down to check my pants. You see, I rarely purchase new clothing and had no idea what he was talking about. “Huh? Ah, no. I’ve had this one for years.” I was genuinely confused . He laughed at me. “No,” he clarified, “a new color karate belt.” I wasn’t even trying to be funny, but certainly enjoyed a laugh as well.
It was a great Karate Kid moment. If we had been cartoon characters, a lightbulb would have magically appeared above my head. It was in that moment that I had an AHA! experience. No longer was karate about achievements or rank. Karate-do had become a part of who I am and who I am becoming.
This past weekend I was promoted to 1 Kyu – the last rank before testing for one’s black belt. At the end of the testing, students who have passed are called, one-by-one, to the front of the dojo to have their new rank affixed to their belts. It is a moment open to public view where the Sensei offers a few quiet, private thoughts audible only the recipient of the promotion.
In our dojo, testing for first degree black belt and above occurs only once per year and is conducted in front of one of the United States Directors for our federation. So, my Sensei’s private words to me included, “you know, this is the last promotion I can give you.” I offered the simple response, “and yet I’ll look forward to a lifetime worth of knowledge still left for you to share.”
Despite my wife’s doubts when I told her the story, my words were completely genuine – flowing easily without conscious thought. It’s funny sometimes how things just seem to fall into place – like points on a line … or, more specifically, a path.