Encouraging Words

"Are you thinking about going to any tournaments this year?" Stacey asks me.

Stacey and I are taking a much-needed water break after sparring at all-belts. My mitts are slimy with sweat inside and I need to wipe my face. It's been a good class today with Justin leading. We've done a good variety of activities, including sparring, just now. I even got to spar Justin, which was good, even though I got clocked in the head by his powerful hook kick.

Stacey's been helping me out a bit today, on my kicks, with 3-step sparring, with self-defense.

"Well, I'm thinking about maybe doing a tournament," I tell her. "I did our school's tournament last year and it was fun."

"You ought to think about the one in the Quad Cities," she says. "It's good, and people from our school usually do well on forms. "

"Maybe I will," I muse.

"You really ought to think about it," says Stacey. "I bet you'd do well. You're good. You've really come a long way since last year."

I don't remember if I thanked her for those words, but they rang in my ears for quite a while. Unasked-for encouragment is a wonderful gift.