Success

Success

To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch
or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

Theoretically this quote is attributed to Emerson, though many will say that it wasn't actually him who said it. No matter...it's still a good quote either way.

After practice I was talking to Sabs in their office and Dylan comes running in. "Where's my belt? I NEED my belt for the party!" It's really amazing what's sooooo important to a little kid at any given moment. He was pacing around the room like the world was going to end if he didn't find his belt. Hahaha...Dylan is 5 and recently started taking PeeWee classes and is a white belt now...he's SO proud of having 3 stripes on his belt. There was a kiddie birthday party at the dojang today, and Derek and Dylan were running around with the other kids and came down to get their uniforms. I gave them the t-shirts I brought back for them from the Olympic Training Center and it was quite possibly the most satisfying moment I've had all week. Gift giving is so fun like that. Derek's was like, "wow cool! Thanks sparky noona!" A typical reaction from a 9-year-old...but Derek's always genuine, that's what I like about him. But Dylan's eyes lit up and when Sab was told him to thank me, he runs over and barrels me with a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Totally made my day.

I remember last month during the meltdown when S Sr sat me down and we had a heart to heart over life, stress, pressure, and the like. And I remember, as he tried to sort through the various things that were on my mind and the growing pains of being in NYC and the dojang, the first thing he said.

"My kids LOVE you. And that means more to me than whether you win or lose, teach or not."

It's time like these that I wonder how people can do this just for sport. How they don't see the joys that come from the family in the dojang. How good it feels to win a child over and have them want to come and play with you, or how important you feel when they come running to you with a scraped knee, or how motivating it is when they cheer for you on the sidelines when you're sucking wind.

I may drive Sabs crazy. And I know I do. But there are moments when I catch looks on their faces that betray that they actually do like me quite a bit and are happy that I'm here. I catch it at strange moments. When I'm teaching Thursday class and I tell everyone to line up and they're dragging - and then I start counting backwards from 5 and they scramble to get in line. When I'm playing with Derek and Dylan. When I make Adolfo do sidekicks. I mean, duh, of course, why doubt that sort of thing? But like, beyond the winning and status and being useful for gruntwork and teaching...it's not just about some calculated give-and-take.

I think I keep relearning to be liked for who I am and not just for what I do. As Dave Shin used to always say in our fsgl meetings..."we're human beings, not human doings".

Indeed.