to be a ninja.....

Well, I started ninja school last night, and it was awesome.

You know it's funny how a little physical jarring can do a lot to wake you up on a completely different level. I mean, when you constantly move and interact well within your known physical limits, it's easy to feel only one tiny step away from being asleep. But there's this whole other feeling.... like when you tumble down a hill strapped to a snowboard, land on the the other side of an obstacle you didn't think you could clear, wake up the morning after some difficult feat feeling sore but accomplished.... There's something very good about testing your limits and then pushing them.

Who knew that I would ever submit time and again to being manhandled down to the mat, but then who knew that I would ever arm-lock a dude twice my size with relatively little strain? Who knew that falling down... hard.... and then getting right back up, could feel so satisfying?

I would be lying if I implied it was all about physical exertion. The truth of the matter is that it's been a while since I attempted to do something I wasn't sure I could excel at, or something that would really draw me out of my comfort zone. Just showing up seems like a victory. My muscles may be a little upset with me, but they'll recover.

As a supplement to ninja school, I picked up a book called "The Spiritual Practices of the Ninja" which I'm really enjoying, to the point of even doing the exercises and recording my responses. I'll have it on the reading list right away. I've still got that Atlantis book halfway along, but how can Atlanteans hold a candle to ninjas? That's right, they just can't.

So, I'm off to an early bedtime. Goodnight.