End of an Era

Don't worry, I'm not talking about my quitting Kendo. The situation is actually quite the opposite. I have already talked about how I felt about everything in my facebook profile, so I thought I'd use this time to talk specifically about my Kendo thoughts.

When I'm talking about the end of an era, I am talking about the end of life as a college student. I have two great pieces of information to tell the world though. After 4.5 years of being stuck in the college grind, I am happy to report that all of my requirements have been accomplished so I will be graduating in a few days. On top of that, I recently got a job doing Heat Transfer analysis in Cincinnati, OH. I start Monday, January 28.

In Kendo terms, this also means that I will be leaving the club that I started with after being there for the same length of time. All the friends I made and the experiences I've had will be remembered for a long time to come.

I never really knew how much I was going to like Kendo when I started back in August of 2003. I went to the callout and started off with the first practice. But unlike everyone else that I started with that semester, I decided to stick with it. I came back from practice complaining of sore arms and feet, but still opted to go back as many times as I was able. Then the armor stuff came along and things really began to get fun.

I'm really glad that I decided to stick with Kendo though. It is very hard for someone to start something and stick with it in the end. Originally, I really wanted to start Aikido, but Kendo's calling was stronger. I guess it meshed with my character well and everything. Plus, all the friends and rivals I have made over the years helped things along. No matter the path, all I can say is I am truely happy to have found something and stuck with it to the point of having a strong desire to continue after college.

One of the great things about my situation is that there are several Kendo dojos in the area where I will be staying. As far as which one I will attend, it depends on where exactly I will be staying in relation to my place of employment. I have several weeks before I make the final decision though, so I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Another thing that I have wanted to do was start Iaido. I have been wanting to start for years but the only place in the area that has it is Indianapolis. Due to time and money constraints, I couldn't attend. I did get to see a class and it seems like a fun thing to do to augment my Kendo. Of course, I won't really see the benefits until I actually do it myself. There is at least one place that does Iaido in the area to my knowledge. I wish that they trained on more than one day though. But I know who to ask to get decent answers.

So, while it's an end of an era for me, it's also the beginning of a new one. As I think about all of the things I leave behind, I am also thinking about the new challenges and pleasures I face in the future.