This photo is one of the last photos I have of me in my Taekwondo.
I haven’t trained consistently in Taekwondo since I left for college. Meaning that for almost nine months I have gone without practicing that which I have loved and that by which I have defined myself.
Many college students do that, take a break from something they love. So what I have done is not that uncommon. Rather, I was very much encouraged to take a break by many members of the Taekwondo community that I look up to. While I don’t everyone to stop doing something they love, I also want to say to not exclude it from the realm of possibility.
A large group of people, although they told me to still be involved with the sport and martial art, told me to take a break and explore other opportunities. So I decided no to continue training. I noticed I did other things in my free time. I joined the Latin Dance Society at Trinity University and fell in love with it. I took ballroom dance as a class and had a lot of fun with that. I started spending more time with different people who weren’t involved in the same things I was. I rushed a sorority, which I am very proud to be a part of. I took a lot of classes (not the best choice, but it was an experience). Finally, I had the time and opportunity to explore that which I was interested in all of a sudden. I was doing new things and could chose what I wanted to do.
Soon I found my schedule so filled up with school work and other things I was involved that there was no more time in the day, that is unless I wanted to get a good night’s sleep. So my schedule was filled and I could not find the time. Let me phrase that slightly differently, I didn’t want to find the time. I was having more fun than ever. For a while, back in California where I was training, I felt like I was stuck in a rut. I was doing the same things every week, and while I did have an enjoyable experience, I felt stuck. I didn’t feel the same urge to train and get better that I did before.
Sometimes, when you get stuck you have to step back and take a break before going back to whatever you’re going back to. Sometimes that breath will be larger than expected. That little bit of advice has been one of the greatest I have ever heard. It applies not only to taking a long break to explore other things or just for the sake of taking a break. It applies to any part of conflict or when you get writer’s block, or anything like that.
I hope to be able to go back to training in Taekwondo soon. Instead of it just going through the notions and counting the minutes until class is over, I will be counting down the minutes until the next class. I have a newfound desire to train and learn again.
As a closing note, I would like to tell parents, coaches, teachers, and other leaders in the lives of children something. When your children or students are about to go off and explore the world (meaning go to college), encourage them to try new things. Don’t tell them to stick to what they know. They will never learn that was.
Personally, I think this break was very needed. I think it wasn’t as detrimental as some people may believe. I learned so much about myself and the world. I grew as a person, which is something we are supposed to do when we children join the adult world. I found new things to love and enjoy. In the end, my life is fuller and more enjoyable because of this break.
