If you stop by the studio this week, take a minute to look at the black belt table. Beyond Sports Taekwondo is honoring our newest black belts: James Holley, Andrew Bailey, Mercedes Riggs, Rachel Andres, Tae-Min Yoo, and Haley Pennock. I looked through their scrapbooks today, and I'm impressed. All of them have achieved a goal that commands respect: they are younger than I am, and still I look up to them (and can I say, I love that about taekwondo: seniority is not based on age, but on expertise).
When I first started taking my son here, I looked at the black belts as people who had achieved something nigh-impossible. Now, having taken classes for over a year, I realize that it's not impossible. I remember that James was a blue belt when I first started; after Belt Jump Camp, I'll be a blue belt too. Achieving black belt is something I'm starting to realize I could maybe do, too.
But I think for me, it will be like college was: I thought that when I graduated from college, I would really know something. Turns out that the most important thing I learned was how to learn. I suspect that if and when I become a black belt, the most important thing it will bring me is the confidence that not only have I learned the tae kwon do curriculum to that point, but that me and my body are capable of learning new things for the rest of my life.
So, congratulations to our new black belts! I am always grateful for your patience as you teach me and the other colored belts new things. All of us look up to you--we know you've worked hard to get to where you are.
And this is a shout out to any black belt at our studio: comment and tell us your philosophy of being a black belt. What has achieving that goal meant for you?
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