Parting with a partner

Yesterday I said goodbye to my friend Iris, who will be leaving for Hawaii soon. She’ll be staying there for six months, working with horses. I’m happy for her, and I’m very proud of her for daring to pursue her dream. In fact, I think more people should. However, I must admit it’s kind of hard for me to see her leave. After all, she’s my trusted Ju jitsu partner! On top of that, I won’t be seeing her when she comes back. I’ll be in Japan by then, which means I won’t see her for over a year. I’m going to miss her a lot.

It’s weird thinking how things can change, and how the choices we make can change our view of things, and even how we see ourselves. I think that she’ll grow through this experience and learn more about herself as a person, as well as making some memories along the way. I hope to do the same when my turn comes.

She has promised to visit me while I’m in Japan, though, and that helps. A little.

Iris – just so you know: You’ve got to send me lots of mails from Hawaii, you hear? I demand to know!! XO

I also went to Ju jitsu training with Iris and Sol yesterday evening. We had Alain Sailly visiting, a 7th dan ju jitsu instructor from France. He’s been on the French national judo team, he’s good at using weapons, he’s been a dancer… well, you name it. He’s extremely talented, and I’m always amazed to se him in action. Just the precision and the way he moves... it’s impressive, to say the least.

Another thing that I admire about him is how he instructs and treats other people. He always seems to be nice and helpful, and treats everybody with respect. It doesn’t matter if you’re a white or a black belt. I think that is a very good quality. Today, for instance, he shook the hand of every participant after training and thanked them for coming. He doesn’t think of himself as all high-and-mighty, and he has a lot of humour, which definitely makes him a lot less intimidating. I like him.

There were several trainers present that I haven’t seen for some time, and I was glad to talk to them again. I think the atmosphere is very good at our dojo, and I’m very grateful to our instructors for always being so friendly and helpful. <3