My Black Belt

I never realized how important earning my black belt was. That is, until October of last year. Let me take you back a little bit. My journey began in October of 2013 when my dad signed my brother, sister and I up for classes. I don't exactly remember my first class, but I remember how sore I was afterward. My Mom set me up the most awesome bubble bath ever. I took a lot of bubble baths during that first year. I slowly started to enjoy things like the adrenaline rush when sparring, but my overall favorite thing is self-defense. I also began to appreciate the graceful, but still powerful, aesthetic value of forms. Flash forward to October 2016. My sister and I were struggling a bit with the rigors of black belt boot camp, but through a lot of extra work, we made the final cut. It was at that same time that my sister injured herself and though she kept pushing, it became apparent that she was not going to be able to go through with the test. I had this choice to make - go ahead and take the test without her, or withdraw and this be a milestone we completed together. Since I am here today, you know what my choice was. As soon as my parents told Sensei our decision a flood of emotions came over me. I realized that I had been working for three years for this moment and it was a moment I earned. I cried a lot . …show more content…
I am so happy to share this day with my sister. The belt will be a constant reminder to me of what dedication, hard work and integrity is about and how important family