Origin
I have been vacillating for the longest time if I was “worthy” of publishing anything. Why would people bother to read anything I write? Who am I to assume that I can, so to speak, put pen to paper and expect anyone to take the time to actually read it?
Then comes Hurricane Harvey. Seeing the indomitable spirit of Texas and her people. The resilience of the human spirit in all its glory. The firm resolve to survive, persist, and help fellow survivors. It is simply awe-inspiring.
Certainly only a small fraction of these individuals, both victims and heroes, train Jiu Jitsu but through the eyes of one who does, it is not hard to see the parallels. Master Relson Gracie is quoted to have once said something like, “Jiu-Jitsu Jitsu is simple. You do this, I do this. You do this, I do this. You do this, I do this. Forever.” What is that if not the story of humankind and nature, in good times and bad?
This image is a rendering of my tattoo. Well, at least what I intended it to be. The inspiration behind it is my life story. Like everyone else, my life had its ups and downs, high points and low points, peaks and valleys and crevasses. Until I thought it would stay in the abyss sometime between January to May of 2016. Anxiety and insomnia were getting the better of me for months. I saw a therapist, I started taking medication, I took up meditation… still I felt helpless and hopeless. What compounded my predicament was that Jiu Jitsu was my only exercise and hobby but I could not go to class that often because I felt so weak not just due to the lack of motivation, but also due to the lack of sleep. I was in a very dark place, the darkest I have been in by far. I was waffling over taking my life or joining the Air Force or getting a motorcycle.
Finally succumbing to taking various sleep aids because my issues were taking a toll on my work and certainly my health, I finally recovered enough to make it to the mats with more energy and focus. I quickly realized the difference it was making. On the mat, I do not think about my problems. That is, unless the problem at hand is that of my opponent about to sweep or submit me, but then again that is a different problem in and of itself. And besides, I can always tap and start over. I can only wish I could do that in real life. Problem? Tap then start over.
I started training more frequently. I used to go two to three times a week. Come August I went about five to six days out of the week. The butterflies stopped migrating to my stomach on my way to the Jiu Jitsu academy. I was getting healthier. Emotionally, mentally, and physically. I can confidently and proudly proclaim that Jiu Jitsu saved my life. And this tattoo is a simple tribute, a testament, my own little way of giving back to “the gentle art.”
~JL
