Aikido as a way of life.

 October 19th, 2020 I have leaned into some of my demons in this time of Covid. As we continue to train 3 times a week on Zoom I still get to see and feel the person I can change. Me. I still feel fearful, insecure and irrelevant at times just like I did at in-person classes.  I go to class no matter how I feel. My brain comes up with many ideas about why I shouldn’t go to class, including: “why bother? You don’t have an uke so it’s not real, or a lot of the people you train with have stopped training so maybe this whole thing is just stupid.” I go anyway just in case my brain is wrong and this Aikido training on Zoom is relevant.   After class I feel like I have explored ideas, had a good workout, practiced with my friends and learned something. What more can I expect from Aikido class?  I had a dream the other night where my uke who was a large, heavy man, looked up at me after I thew him and said, “Mary, you are becoming softer and more refined.” I was pleased in my dream. I’m takin