A Thank You to Non-Martial Artist Family and Friends

A group of us were talking about karate after class in the dojo one night. My ten year old daughter wanted to be included in the conversation. She shared her view of karate... "Karate is time spent away from me".

Ouch.

I know I spend a lot of time with my daughter but it made me pause. From her perspective, it is time that could have been spent playing a game, talking, watching a movie or going shopping. This made me think of all the family and friends of karate practitioners and the sacrifices they make for our art. I was a karate practitioner's girlfriend before I was a karateka. This post is for all the parents, girlfriends, spouses, children and friends of martial artists.


Here is my personal list:

• Thank you for your acceptance of the time I devote to martial arts.
• Thank you for spending time and money accompanying us to the dojo, a tournament or an awards banquet.
• Thank you for washing those heavy uniforms.
• Thank you for listening as we enthusiastically describe in detail...a technique, a seminar event, a movie, a book or a conversation about martial arts.
• Thank you for not giving strange looks from across the restaurant table when we use our butter knife to illustrate a bo technique.
• Thank you for lending us an arm or a leg when we want to "try out" a technique we learned in class.
• Thank you for understanding that karate practice can happen at unexpected locations...in a restaurant parking lot, at a picnic, at a community walk-a-thon, etc.
• Thank you for your patience when Mommy or Daddy needs to teach class.
• Thank you for your flexibility because sometimes diner is at 5:30 and sometimes at 8:30.
• Thank you for not blinking an eye when we buy yet another custom made martial art weapon. ( I have at least five bo.)

Thank you!