I never stop talking about art. I look for it with every glance. And I reach for it.

Art is another word for beauty.

Another word for truth.

Good art doesn’t have to be appreciated by everyone. It challenges people.

It challenges me.

Four years ago, I fell into the art of fighting.

Martial arts.It’s in the name, but I didn’t think of it as the kind of art I talk about here. I only knew it challenged me and I wanted to get better at it. I saw that I was amateur on almost every level.

Except

The willingness to try.

I showed up. I practiced. I know I’m never going to be the best at this. But I’d like to be the best I can be at it

There is a saying

A black belt is a white belt who didn’t quit.

There was a lot I didn’t expect in these four years. I suppose the first part was the surprise of the COVID lockdown and pandemic. I sure didn’t expect that.

Which led to the unexpected engagement with the art of fighting. I didn’t think I had to right to fight, honestly. Society expected and I accepted that I was to be a nice girl. Practice deference and be demure.

I didn’t like to be demure but I had fallen into the compliance habit.

Learning to fight and practicing it like the art it wants to be has changed me.  A Martial art is not just one move. I can do it badly, and still know that doing something badly is better than doing nothing in a fight situation.

And still I see the art in it and am challenged to try to do it better and better. I want to learn the principles and see what it takes to get better. I have found the art in it and am changed.