return of the friday night ritual
Last night was my second class back in jujitsu, and I managed to make it through the entire class this time. The warm up was a bit less vigorous, and the rolls and falls easier to do. We started out with Yawara te (techniques of gentleness), then Nage te (throwing techniques), then the last half hour was gun and knife techniques. So afterward, I changed back into civilian clothes, said my goodbyes and walked out to the car, and I was feeling really good like I do after a good class. As I got to the car, I looked up at the sky and stopped dead in my tracks at the beauty of it.
The sky was dark, but not quite dark enough to see the stars. To the west, twilight was still brightening the sky some, much like when it starts to lighten in those first instances of dawn. The temperature was a that of a comfortable late summer evening, crickets singing, a faint odor of pine in the air. It was like magic flooding back from the past. I put my stuff in the car, put some Sade into the cd player, and headed off. the cool evening air coming in through the car windows with the music turned up was just awesome. On the way home, I stopped and got some Chinese food, then came home and watched What Not to Wear.
I used to do that on Fridays quite a bit, until the last year or so. Jujitsu class became more of an irregular thing for me than a regular thing, although that’s changing. I haven’t really experienced what I did last night for a while, but that’s changing too. I can’t explain it well, as some things have to be experienced to be understood, but there’s something deeply satisfying about a good jujitsu class, at least there is for me. I compare it to doing a good healing session for someone, like Reiki or sound healing. The person I work with doesn’t have to tell me I helped them - I know it as well as they do, because I feel like it helped me too. But the feeling is the same - and I just don’t know how to explain it.
So that’s my friday night ritual - jujitsu class, Chinese food and What Not to Wear. Sounds lame said like that, but hey, I enjoy it, and I’m sure I’ll be doing a lot more of it.