Happy New Year 2023

"All of the principles of heaven and earth are living inside you. Life itself is the truth, and this will never change. Everything in heaven and earth breathes. Breath is the thread that ties creation together."  -Morihei Ueshiba, O Sensei

Dear Two Cranes Aikido friends and family,

Happy New Year! May 2023 bring light and peace to our world! I wish to express my deepest gratitude to all of you. Despite the challenges we have faced this year, both locally and worldwide, we have continued to live and thrive, recover, and strengthen. It is a blessing to be able to gather together on a regular basis to support each other in heart and spirit; celebrate the power of being in relationship, and foster Aikido’s principle of connectivity and loving kindness. We can recognize joyful moments in our bodies, as they’re happening. Aikido invites us to ground ourselves in the jubilant parts of our lives. We do this with moments of trauma and crisis all the time. Maybe we can update that pattern.

Be where your feet are.

The practice of Aikido has been a lifesaving for me. When I open the door of the dojo, I draw in a breath of immense gratitude. No matter how I feel prior to that first step in, there it is, the moment that I have trained myself to say, “Wake up. Get here right now!” I take that teaching out into the world: walking down the icy sidewalk, cooking dinner, saying thank you to the pizza delivery gal, and driving in a foggy rainstorm, reminding myself that one of the most powerful teachings I have embodied is the ability to return to the present moment - to live with how things are, right now. 

We practice for many reasons. O’ Sensei says it best: It’s not that we lose our balance, the key is how fast we can recover it! It’s the simple things that happen on the mat, in addition to our technique, that give us the opportunity to recover: an exchange of hands, a shared glance, a stubbed toe, a nod. We appreciate that interaction with our partners helps us act skillfully under pressure when we step off the mat. And whether we come to the mat happy or grieving, we benefit from training, healed by grabbing our partners’ hands and spinning in space. But the most significant impact I see on people is an increased ability to like ourselves. It’s a small miracle to wrap our arms around ourselves and be in peace.  

All of us share the hardship of living in a time of global trauma. We meet the day with much adversity: the unending pandemic, global warming, racial and other forms of injustice, and the horror of war. The present climate makes it tempting to succumb to our fear response and act in unthinking ways, forgetting that we are in this together. How can we navigate these trying times? We have the gift of our practice – one of many vehicles to guide us to remember ourselves, to address our dualistic thinking habits, and return to the truth of unity consciousness. We can be grateful for practices that focus on interdependence and generosity. We can embrace the words of O’Sensei and other likeminded transcendent teachers: loving kindness is our birthright. 

Thanks to you, Two Cranes School and Institute continues to be a resource for all of us who visit the dojo weekly or partake in one of several seminars offered each year. Despite life’s struggles (emotional, economic, and otherwise), we have trained steadily and earnestly. New children and teens are jumping onto the mat and playing exploding enchiladas. We are once again offering a mini cranes class for 4-6 year olds. That’s fantastic!

There are many people to thank. I always thank Dan McAbee, the co-founder of our dojo We have held a shared vision since we launched the school in the Fall of 1995. Thank you to the adult, children & teen teachers who voluntarily offer their hearts and spirits to the dojo. It’s amazing how many of you offer your talent and enthusiasm to mentor our youth! Gratitude to our steadfast dojo manager Amy Cericola, who is lightning-rod passionate, organized, and deeply creative. And gratitude to Sara Gerhart Snell, who steps in everywhere to keep our monthly calendars updated and helps me to maintain a healthy communication between students and teachers. Lynda Matsumoto is our inspired Youth Program Director. She is amazing with the kids!!! Remember, she is the one who created the famous “cat mask flyer”.  Our TCI Executive Director Susan Adams, and our board, Dan Murnan, Greg Mock, Sara G Snell and Jessie Levin, have given it their all to keep this engine afloat. Thanks to Susan’s extraordinary efforts, TCI has acquired grants and permits to move forward with a new sidewalk repair. A final bow to our building manager volunteer John Bryant, who cares for the space with loving care as if it were his own. In spirit, it is his own. 

Thank you for your dedication, thank you for your hearts!

A story:  In March of 2020, a hefty great blue heron moved into the neighborhood above Greenlake. Typically, herons rest in trees, but this bird perched herself on the corner of my roof. When I left the house each morning, I tended to glance towards the sky to check on my new acquaintance. I swear I saw her stretch her neck long and stare into the giant spruce tree across the street. What was she looking at? With each passing day, I felt not just a growing camaraderie with this majestic animal, but I sensed that if she did show herself, then coincidentally my day went well, like an omen of goodness. Her regal way of holding space on the roof encouraged me to embody a straight and noble posture. Because she radiated the power of balance and open awareness, I immediately felt more connected to the environs around me. Her focused gaze reminded me of Mary Oliver, who says to ‘come into my precious animal body’. 

In the spring, despite our pleas to reconsider, our neighbors chopped down the spruce tree. The blue heron disappeared. I was devastated. I continued to cast my eyes on the roof first thing out the door each day and feel the rush of melancholy that comes with accepting that ‘goodbyes’ happen. Several weeks later, I walked around the neighborhood with a dear friend, noting the early spring snowdrops and bell-shaped crocuses peeking out. As I rounded the corner a half block from my house, my friend said, “look up”. Just then a stout great blue landed on a branch towards the top of the tree. There she rested calm and quiet. For several minutes I stood as still as I could and reveled in a sweet ahh: Is it her? Is she back? Before turning away towards my house, I stole one more glance just in time to watch as she spread her magnificent blue-gray wings and let her long-limbed legs follow behind. I knew she must have had a prompting of the heart as she soared into the sky. 

My rapport with the blue heron sums up the lessons that have come to me in 2022. Our most precious relationships fill us with radiance, hope, and happiness. We are here on this planet for such a short time. We embrace the bounty of love in our rapports and grieve deeply for the loss of those loved ones. People chop down trees and remove precious habitats. We grieve and regroup. Our Aikido practice encourages us to connect as sweetly and deeply as we can with ourselves and each other. We embrace the hellos and bow our heads with a soft heart to the goodbyes. Indeed, we are all in a marvelous billowing flow of life. May we reach ever more for the sensations of an open heart and sturdy mind.

Whatever you choose to focus on this year, may your practice be beneficial, may your discoveries be monumental, and may your friendships grow unconditionally.

Love and light,

Kimberly