February 2019
NAIL IN THE FENCE
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally, the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there.” A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us. Show your friends how much you care.
Author Unknown
To succeed in life, karate or any endeavor, each person must accept the responsibility to live life each day and strive to improve daily. When one’s temper is not controlled, the outside forces in life take control. The holes in the fence are the gaps in life when others are hurt by our action or inaction. Can we replace friends as easily as we would replace the boards in the fence? Is this a realistic option, especially if you are that piece of wood?
As Steve Jobs once said “simple can be harder than complex; you have to work hard to get your thinking clean and simple. But it’s worth it in the end because when you get there, you can move mountains.” Once you start, you can succeed in anything you set your mind to. Change your life by eliminating distractions and focusing on the task at hand to streamline your processes and get results.
CONGRATULATIONS to Skye and Trinity White on their promotion to Junior Green Belt.
Brown and Black Belts – There will be a training session on Friday, February 15th – starting at 7 PM. Let me know if you will be attending.
REMINDER OF THE KARATE CLASS SCHEDULE:
MONDAYS FOR ADULTS – 6:00 to 7:30 PM
TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS FOR CHILDREN – YOUNGER CHILDREN STILL 5:45 – 6:46 PM
OLDER / ADVANCED CHILDREN STILL 6:30 – 8:00 PM
ADULTS STILL 8:00 to 9:30 or 10:00 PM
WEDNESDAYS – WE WILL BE COMBINING ADULT AND CHILDREN’S CLASSES ON WEDNESDAY EVENINGS FROM 6:00 TO 7:30 PM.
SATURDAYS – ADULTS – STILL 10:00 to 11:00 AM
CHILDREN – STILL 11:00 AM to NOON
ALSO – PLEASE WORK TO PAY MONTHLY DUES THE BEGINNING OF EACH MONTH.
