The Calm Before The Storm

My daughter and I finished up all of our curriculum last week and turned in our books.  We got our recommendation stripes the week before.  The test is this upcoming weekend.  This week seems a bit surreal.  We're both ready to test but also anxious.  I'm going over items in my head doing some "visualization" of doing the curriculum.  I'm also trying to practice a sword form that I have to demo at the test to make sure I can do it without thinking.  

Three and a half years is a long time to finally have it coming to a conclusion this weekend.  Except it's not a conclusion.

We had a pep talk from a friend of Master Lee's last weekend.  He runs his own school and is a 6th degree black belt.  He made a statement that got me pondering: "As we approach one goal, the person who strives for greatness sets another goal."  We set our goal of becoming black belts 3 years ago.  My next goal is to actually get all the way to 4th degree (official "Master" status).  My daughter's goal is to go try playing basketball for a season.  Because of her black belt training, I believe that she'll make her best effort in her new endeavor.  Whether or not she is actually good at the sport is left to be seen but it's also not important.  I only pray that she puts as much effort into each thing she tries to do as she has done for her black belt.  That's the best I could ever hope for.

It will be a bit strange going to taekwondo without her. I know that at times I went to class because I had to take her.  There were also times that she went because I was her parent and made her.  I pray I have the discipline to keep this up by myself but that I also have the discipline to take her to her practices where I'm not participating.

A chapter of my life is soon going to be over. The next one will begin. Except I think that my chapters are all interleaved with each other but that's not quite so deep now is it?