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A journey begins

Hello all,

I have been keeping a Kendo journal of sorts, to record my experiences in keiko and to have a reference to look back at later on to see what I've improved, what still needs work, what has changed, what hasn't, and everything in between. Since my previous blogging tool decided to stop recording entries for me (grrrr....) I will now be using this site.

I have been doing Kendo, all in all, for about a year and a half. I originally started at the Spokane Kendo Club back in 2005 but never took it seriously.  I was young and had better things to do, and I think I missed more classes than I attended, and didn't get much past the beginning course.  When I moved away for a job I quit entirely, but after a while I had this nagging voice in the back of my head that said I should give it another try, a real try.  It took me 4 years, but I finally got back into kendo last May, and have been doing it ever since then.

For me, Kendo is a great thing in my life. It helps relieve stress. It pushes me to exercise and get myself into the best shape that I can so I can be better. It helps form friendship and team-spirit with my fellow Kendoka. The list is endless.

It's definitely not an easy road. Kendo takes discipline, time, and a whole lot of effort. It takes a humble spirit to realize that you know nothing, so that you can be filled up with the knowledge and experience offered by your senseis and senpais.

I make no claim to know everything about Kendo. I know very, very little, and will be the first to admit it. I'm of the mindset that Kendo is an art that would take many lifetimes to master, but in this one that I am given I will do my best to learn all that I can and try to understand all that I can.

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Sutemi

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