When you're an adult martial artist, you constantly have to juggle a lot of stuff in order to train.
Family needs, work requirements, financial and personal challenges - especially injury and illness - all have to be managed so you can just get on a damn mat. Sometimes the other stuff is so overwhelming that it really takes some doing to get in any training time at all.
Such is my life, lately.
After my move last year, I was able to fall into a routine of sorts with karate a couple of times a week, and hosting the Kansas City Presas Arnis Meetup on weekends. It wasn't as much as I wanted to do, but it was something while I figured stuff out.
Then I had a major illness hit. Well, actually, it was three: one chronic that it took a while to figure out what was going on and fix it, a week and a half lost to the flu, and then another two weeks lost to a really harsh, hacking-cough cold I got in the wake of the flu.
That cost me two months of lost time, as it was nearly impossible to train in that period (the 2018 holidays sucked).
Then I started working some funky hours which completely blew up my old schedule, and now I can't even attend the Meetup on weekends any more. Just as that happened, we hit a financial hurdle we haven't been able to clear, so any ideas I had about going to a local class that fits my new schedule went out the window, as I can't afford it right now.
I'm a bit depressed about it all, to be honest, and feeling rather adrift and isolated in my martial arts life (what martial arts life?)
Really, I think that's my true problem. I'm depressed. I love where I live and don't regret my move at all, but I miss my Arnis teacher a lot. I miss my peers down in Texas, a lot. Every time I see them post about training, or there's a seminar notice down there, I get a little sad and jealous that I can't go.
I miss Arnis. I liked karate, and I enjoy kobudo, but I miss doing Arnis several times a week as my full-time style, as a student. I miss teaching it too - not being able to go to the Meetup is incredibly depressing - but that's never as fun as being the student.
I'm not even practicing much at home, if at all. Weather has us trapped in the house and I don't have a lot of room to move, but that's just an excuse, of course.
My friend shared this on his wall and it's exactly what I needed today, literally as I'm writing this post.
I train for mainly health and self defense reasons, but still, the point is the same.
Do I want to be a champion?
Then I have to make it happen, and I have to prioritize making it happen, don't I?