Lagom

Lagom is a Swedish word with no direct English translation, but loosely translates to mean "just the right amount."

Wikipedia has great background including:

The Lexin-Swedish-English Dictionary defines Lagom as "enough, sufficient, adequate, just right."

It is also widely used as a state of living that is "in moderation, in balance, optimal, suitable and average."

When I came across this word it reminded me of the ideal of Fudo Shin. This is often used in martial arts training as the state of stable or unmoving mind" or unmoving heart."

An old definition that I have in my training notebooks of Fudoshin is:

A spirit of unshakable calm and determination, courage without recklessness, rooted stability in both mental and physical realms.
Like a willow tree, powerful roots deep in the ground and a soft, yielding resistance against the winds that blow through it.

Stan Wrobel, Ph.D. wrote in Aikido for Self Discovery: Blueprint for an Enlightened Life

"Too often we try to hard or do too much. There is little trust in riding the flow, in effortlessly staying in touch and on top of the situation. Without effort it seems like we're not participating, we're not doing, and we're without self-image that we can relate to. Effort, tensions, and impatience characterize our being."

Thoughts and Hope; An Owner's Manual

What a fantastic quote! "It's completely usual for me to get up in the morning, take a look around, and laugh out loud."
-Barbara Kingsolver

We all need a charge like this to start the day and realize our time is limited.

I love this poem as it reminds me of treasured memories, one being that my grandmother, Elie, always made me tapioca pudding for my birthday. Now whenever I have it, I think of her and the special times I had with her and my Grandfather. Treasure those special moments and try to make more of them in your daily life and with those who you cross paths with.

The ending poem of the Commencement Ceremony at Duke University, May 11, 2008 titled: "How to be Hopeful"

Hope; An Owner’s Manual

Look, you might as well know, this thing
is going to take endless repair: rubber bands,
crazy glue, tapioca, the square of the hypotenuse.
Nineteenth century novels. Heartstrings, sunrise:
all of these are useful. Also, feathers.

To keep it humming, sometimes you have to stand
on an incline, where everything looks possible;
on the line you drew yourself. Or in
the grocery line, making faces at a toddler
secretly, over his mother’s shoulder.

You might have to pop the clutch and run
past all the evidence. Past everyone who is
laughing or praying for you. Definitely you don’t
want to go directly to jail, but still, here you go,
passing time, passing strange. Don’t pass this up.

In the worst of times, you will have to pass it off.
Park it and fly by the seat of your pants. With nothing
in the bank, you’ll still want to take the express.
Tiptoe past the dogs of the apocalypse that are sleeping
in the shade of your future. Pay at the window.
Pass your hope like a bad check.
You might still have just enough time. To make a deposit.

Shuchu-Ryoku (Focused Power) and Multitasking

I came across this great article on multitasking by Ruth Pennebaker in the NY Times. The title is: "The Mediocre Multitasker" and

The opening reads as:

Read it and gloat. Last week, researchers at Stanford University published a study showing that the most persistent multitaskers perform badly in a variety of tasks. They don’t focus as well as non-multitaskers. They’re more distractible. They’re weaker at shifting from one task to another and at organizing information. They are, as a matter of fact, worse at multitasking than people who don’t ordinarily multitask.

This really connected with the Aikido concept of Shuchu-Ryoku or Focused Power.

Kancho Sensei wrote in Total Aikido:

By using shuchu-ryoku, all of the power that is brought together from the whole body can be sent out through one point.

In Aikido, as well as work or family life, if you are trying to focus on too many things, you lose being fully in the moment and appreciating the subtleties and feeling of connecting. As well as in Aikido, if you try focusing on too many Uke's at the same time during Jiyu-waza one will wind up connecting with a strike to punch.

Seken wa semai yo / It’s a small world

While preparing for an upcoming class I came across the quote Seken wa semai yo, which translates roughly to: It’s a small world.

It is interesting the things you remember from youth. One that I carry with me is when, in elementary school, we had yearly musical performances, I'm sure as all children do.

There are a couple of songs I remember singing ranging from Country Roads, Take Me Home by John Denver to High Hopes (Oops, there goes another rubber tree plant) by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn, but the one that has always carried a special memory is the Walt Disney song It's a Small World After All.

In years past I've traveled to a number of Walt Disney destinations and each time came across the same song.

The jingle always sticks in my mind...

it's a small world.
it's a small world.
it's a small world.

It's a world of laughter, a world of tears.
it's a world of hope and a world of fears.
there's so much that we share,
that it's time we're aware
it's a small world after all.

it's a small world after all
it's a small world after all
it's a small world after all
it's a small, small, small, small world.

There is just one moon, and one golden sun.
and a smile means friendship to everyone.
though the mountains be wide.
and the oceans are wide.
it's a small world after all.

it's a small world after all
it's a small world after all
it's a small world after all
it's a small, small world.

it's a small world after all
no matter if you're big or small
come on everybody let's bounce to this!
let's play some love with a little twist!

it's a small world after all
it's a small world after all
it's a small world after all
it's a small, small world.

After hearing the song I flash back from the present moment to the past when my class was singing on the stage. There are fond memories of friends I grew up with and played many games with, each has gone their separate ways, but when we cross paths, fond memories arise. It also makes me realize how fast time goes by and that time in school is a microcosm of the world we live in.

I flash back to the present moment and time seems to have stood still when I think of how fast it has been since I first started my training and study of Aikido. I smile when thoughts drift from the beautifully decorated, well appointed, and world known dojos to the tiny, unknown, “non-ventilated” training halls I’ve trained in and all the great Aikidoka and Budo practitioners I've had the privilege of meeting and training with.

All have contributed to who I am today and I realize that each of us is unique in our many ways and share our friendships and experiences with one another every time we get on the mat and train or sit and converse over a hot cup of tea or a cold beverage.

This would not have been possible had I not entered that first Aikido dojo, over twenty years ago.

Flash back again to that first class: the waning sunlight streaming through the windows, watching the small dust particles float in air. The feel of a fresh, stiff, new dogi; each movement eliciting a crackle. The sight of people swishing across the mat like they were skating; broken only by the soft slap of a hand to mat as others go rolling by.

Suddenly my nose picks up a strong, clearing scent of an overly bleached dogi offset by the welcoming smell of recently oiled trim work.

The thought and moment closes with the feel of a small bead of sweat rolling down my temple, followed by the command to line up, sit in seiza, and bow in for the class.

As the years and miles have rolled by, the true treasures are the friends I’ve made and training partners I’ve had the great privilege of working with and will always be with me, wherever I train or travel.

Gozo Shioda Kancho said during the first year of the IYAF (International Yoshinkan Aikido Federation) "My idea is that since the world has become such a small place we should move beyond thinking in terms of nationalities. The goal entrusted to this federation is to spread the harmony of the aikido spirit throughout the world. Its purpose is to create a peaceful world where it is possible to harmonize with anyone of any race. There is nothing as wonderful as the spirit of harmony and when I started this federation I thought about how we must all get along, how Americans and Soviets must become friends. I thought how the world is a single family and that we must make the world into a place filled with fine human beings."

It seems with those flash backs I’ve come full circle and the jingle is playing in my head again…

it's a small world after all
it's a small, small world.

To The One

I came across this wonderful writing by Paulo Coelho, author of many books including the The Alchemist

Such depth of writing in a tribute to a peace advocate and a guidepost to everyone on how to look at and live life.

TO THE ONE

To the one who understood her task and her purpose.
To the one who looked at the road ahead, and understood that it was a difficult journey.

To the one who did not make light of those difficulties,
but, on the contrary, made them manifest and visible.

To the one who makes the lonely feel they are not alone,
who satisfies those who hunger and thirst for justice, who makes the oppressor feel as bad as the oppressed.

To the one who always keeps her door open,
her ears listening, her hands working, her feet walking.

To the one who embodies the verses of another Persian poet,
Hafez, when he says: Not even seven thousand years of joy are worth seven days of sadness.

To the one who is here tonight, may she be one with all of us,
may her example multiply, may she still have difficult days ahead,
so that she can do whatever she needs to do,
so that the next generations will not have to strive
for what has already been accomplished.

And may she walk slowly,
because her peace is the peace of change,
and change, real change, always takes time.

Message from Paulo Coelho to honour Shirin Ebadi at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony, Oslo, December 11th 2003.

Re-Drawing The Lines: Neurodiversity

The high-light of the YIPA Conference for me, was hearing and meeting Jonathan Mooney.

His speech was titled "Re-Drawing The Lines Neurodiversity: A Compass to a Changing World." Some of the highlights included citing extensive research and tying it to real life stories with ideas parents, students and educators can follow and use to transform learning environments into those that truly celebrate cognitive diversity.

Some wonderful ideas I found in his book, co-written with David Cole, Learning Outside the Lines: Two Ivy League Students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD Give You the Tools for Academic Success and Educational Revolution included:

"Learning outside the lines and living a life less ordinary is about moving beyond blackboards and academic success, to creating experiences that embrace and nurture the parts of our selves that are left unrealized by traditional education (pg. 247).

"Developing the Creative and Passionate Self"

"Too often, creativity and passion, two of the best things about being alive, get pushed out of our definition of self. Creativity is often restricted to art, when in fact it is a way of engaging with the world, a way of thinking and living. In fact, the imagination is the root of all change, because it allows us to imagine a world different from the one we live in. Pursuing creative endeavors, whether sculpting or writing essays, allows us to live fully in the world, drawing on our emotions, our personality, our intelligence, and our souls. Creativity is not concerned with solutions in a logical linear sense, but rather embraces the ironies, complexities, and humanity in our daily lives (pg. 251).

"In a world concerned with normalcy, the passionate self also gets the boot. Passion is threatening, and when we live with gusto, we take huge risks by rocking the boat. But a passion for things, for people, for ideas, is what we are all looking for, what this business of success is all about. Keep on the lookout for activities, classes, or the like that arouse your passion. These are the kinds of activities that when you start them, the restrictions placed on you fall away, and your life becomes like flying. You're gone, without knowing it and without having any control (pg. 251).

If you ever get the chance to see Jonathan, I highly recommend you take it. It will be a wonderful opportunity to realize that your efforts of working with others gives them great benefit, but the real reward is the gift you receive back when they smile.

The Power of People

Today Jim Sensei and I attended the 2009 Youth Intervention Conference, in St. Paul and represented the Shuharikan.

There were a great number of speakers at each of the break-out sessions ranging from Safe and Healthy Schools presented by Edward Marsman and Michael Coyne of the MN Institute of Public Health.

Their presentation's key message was:

The principal objective of school violence reduction strategies should be to create cultures and climates of safety, respect, and emotional support within educational institutions.

Dr. Marc Mannes who presented Sparks: It Starts with a Single Spark, his presentation highlighted that a "Spark" is something that gives your life meaning and purpose. It's an interest, a passion, or a gift. He asked the question: What do you bring to the world that is good, beautiful, and useful?

The keynote speaker was Dr. Verna Cornelia Price who spoke on The Power of People: Four Kinds of People Who Can Change A Youth's Life.

Her presentation asked the questions:

What is your calling or what were you born to do?
What have you learned working with kids or children?

All were excellent presentations and clearly expressed the conference themes of "promoting effective and efficient early intervention services for youth."