I cannot stress enough how imperative it is to my senior clients to keep moving and continue learning new things. This will keep you feeling younger and keep your mind in tip-top shape. However, sometimes it’s hard to take your own advice.
We’ll always get the same reflection back when we look in the mirror, but how we feel about that reflection can make all the difference.
In my mind, I was ready to make a comeback. This old dog wanted to learn some new tricks and feel like a puppy again.
Choosing a new martial arts teacher was going to be my biggest challenge. Most of them are young men or women and I was not sure how I was going to be greeted. I watched several different classes and wanted to see how my new Mr. Miyagi was going to relate to my needs, and physical ability.
My strength has faded slightly over the years, but I can still lift 2 garbage cans from the garage. I can also grab a dessert from the dinner table faster than a speeding bullet, so my speed isn’t completely gone. I wasn’t Methuselah but could have been his brother.
I walked into the dojo with pictures of dragons on the walls in hopes to find my match. There he was! He was about 6’1”, 240 pounds, with a shaved head and a beard. He reminded me of all the tough guys in the martial arts films I used to watch.
He was a 7th degree Black Belt in Kempo Karate with a slight touch of an Irish Brogue. Sensei, David Wilson of Villari’s Studio of Self Defense, of Wellington Florida took on the challenge to teach this old dog some new tricks.
Sometimes Masters and students don’t click. When you find the right Master something magical happens. You learn something about yourself and see yourself in a new way. You feel vital, strong and a wonderful reminiscence of what you were becomes what you are.
Martial arts is a philosophy of life and a science of self-defense. We restore old cars, so why can’t we restore old bodies. Does the old car run the same as it did from the showroom? No, but it can run efficiently and with just as much joy.
What could be better than training in a dojo surrounded by dragons, and with a very large version of Mr. Miyagi? The image in my mirror has changed. Bruce Lee now looks a little haggard with gray hair and bags under his eyes, but he’s back. He just took an extended vacation.
This “old model” is determined to sash a black belt around his waist like he did many years ago. Take it for what it is… it’s just AS I SEE IT.
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