A lesson in humility

The day I have not been looking forward to arrived on Tuesday. The first kung fu class where everyone at my level had been promoted to yellow sash apart from me. I took a weekend trip back home to England for a wedding of a very good friend. The weekend was one of the best of my life so far, seeing so many of my friends, and my family. The downside is that I missed my opportunity to grade up with everyone else. I managed to convince myself that it would not bother me, after all it is no real reflection on your actual skill level. But my ego got the better of me and I found it enormously frustrating to be a lower rank than all these people that I feel I am more advanced than.

I discussed this with my father last weekend and he told me it was a good lesson in humility for me. After explaining that I had already gone through this by going from black belt to white sash he told me that the universe has a way of teaching you the same lesson until you have learned it. Which is an interesting thought, and as you can see from the above I expect the universe will be teaching me that lesson again some time soon.

Nick
Yellow stripe sash (still)