Fear the Crab

I joined Maile in her exercise routine, and afterward I immediately felt my head lighten. Maile said it was because I was doing it too fast, but the exercise routine that I was trying to follow was already going fast. I’m not saying Maile is wrong, however, because really I was pushing it. The problem I have is that when I’m learning something for the first time I tend to go at the pace of the instructor, then adjust the standard to my own level. Regardless of whether it’s a physical activity or mental, I can’t just go my own pace from the very beginning.

I think it started from sports, playing little league and attending the dojo. These were activities that I couldn’t go my own pace from the get-go, because there wasn’t any room for it. In a team sport, you have to keep up, otherwise you’re a detriment to the team and to the game. In the dojo, you had to keep up because you’d get yelled at if you didn’t. Of course, normally one goes through days of practice before game time, so there is the opportunity to bring yourself up to speed. Still, I remember from the first day, I’d try to keep up, run fast, throw hard, swing for the fences… maybe it was to prove myself, or perhaps prove to the coaches that I’m capable.

Granted, when you’re a little kid, you’ve got a lot of energy for such things. I’m older and far less coordinated, now.