"Nana Korobi - Ya Oki"

"Nana korobi - ya oki" is Japanese for "Fall seven times - rise eight times," and is a proverb intended to inspire one to perseverance. It means, more fully, "If you fall down seven times, then regain your feet eight times."

I liked it so much I put it in an article about iaido I wrote recently. Actually, the article wasn't about iaido so much as it was about martial arts practice generally.

Namely, we in the community don't usually practice enough on our own. Some arts are more or less amenable to this, naturally, but most of us are supposed to be practicing daily, but we don't.

I include myself. I haven't touched my sword outside the dojo in months. I did stance-work here in my room tonight for the first time in at least a month. It's getting serious: I'm expected to be an example for the less-experienced students at my dojo and my kwoon, and in the coming months and years my iaido and my hung gar are going to be tested ever more strenuously. In two weeks I'm going to a tournament, for example, and in a couple of months I have a seminar.

This isn't acceptable. Somehow or other, I intend to build up to daily practice.

I've tried and tried again, and I can never quite get into the habit. I haven't given up though, which seems like it's the important thing. Really, it's about hope and compassion for myself, which are surprisingly soft, comforting, and uplifting feelings. Perseverance doesn't have to be bad-assed icy stares and spitting out teeth; it can be a fuzzy, happy thing too.

In recent weeks I've once again fallen down. I seem to be getting up again.

Maybe this will be the eighth time. Here's to hoping.