When life is bad...

I remember once a Sensei told me, “ When your life is bad, do Kendo! Then your Kendo will become good, then your life will become good.”

It took me 3 years to understand what he meant that day. At the time, I was going through quite a difficult time in my life and as usual I was starting to let go of my Kendo.

Of course that message cannot be taken literally, at least not the way the sentence was formulated. Bear in mind, he had a limited command of English grammar and quite a few drinks at the time he gave me that advice.

Kendo cannot make your life good, in the sense that Kendo is not a direct solution to your problems. However, doing Kendo may strengthen your inner self and prepare you for whatever challenges ahead. At least that’s how I interpreted the advice up till now.

I once told myself that no matter how many aspects in my life I am juggling, Kendo should always be the core that holds it all together.

Looking at my present situation, still to this day it’s quite easy for me to neglect my Kendo whenever things go bad or overwhelming, especially when Kendo itself becomes increasingly difficult and challenging.

Sometimes I wish that Sensei gave me the advise on what to do when Kendo becomes bad…