dbotari

Hello Everyone,

I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself to the group. I am based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and have been practicing various Japanese martial arts for over 3 decades. My current focus is on three arts: Aikido (Yoshinkan), Iaido (MJER) and Jodo (SMR). I have been following Dan's posts (and the resulting conversations ) on Aikiweb for a number of years now but finally made it out to a workshop last weekend at Marc Abram's dojo in Bedford Hills NY.

I was floored. I had often heard the expression "It has to be felt" and now realize just how true that statement is. But I felt disappointment throughout the seminar. Not at Dan's ability or his method or anything that had to do with the workshop. I was exposed to the "magic" I had been searching for years to find. No, I was disappointed that I had spent the better part of my life training with little to show for the time and effort except for a collection of kata and waza. By listening to Dan talk as well as the other students comments I began to understand how these skills were integral to everything I had been studying all these years. I just never made the connections or understood how to make those connections. I left the workshop Sunday night and on my 8+ hour drive back to Toronto could not stop thinking about what I had experienced.

What I had been exposed to during the two days of the workshop is fundamental to making the arts I practice work. To develop these skills will take a great amount of effort, dedication and time. I felt some fear - at my age could I ever really develop these skills to a usable level? The thought of dedicating a decade or more to training to develop and integrate these skills into my budo is daunting. As I crossed the border back into Canada I remembered Lao Tzu's words "A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step". I have taken the first step in a very long journey.

Thanks to Dan for sharing his knowledge. Thanks to the other workshop attendees - especially those work gave of their time to work with me. Thanks to Marc and his students for hosting the event. I look forward to participating in the next workshop.

Dan Botari