Musings from the Mat: Certificates

David Socha wrote the following email to Kimberly Sensei in February, 2020. The email has been slightly edited for clarity.

I'm not one to put any weight on certificates. I never framed my PhD certificate. Nor my tenure letter from University of Washington. Nor anything like that. I reserve framing and display for art! Nor do I tend to honor or celebrate my own accomplishments, though my wife Caroline is helping me do better on that front.

Thus, I never got around to framing my shodan certificate. It sat on my office shelf at home for years, a lonely rolled-up scroll. Going into my nidan, I had decided that I wanted to change that. I wanted to frame my nidan certificate and hang it on my office door. In November of last year, two months after receiving my nidan, I finally purchased a simple frame, brought it home, and five minutes later my nidan was framed, with my shodan certificate hidden behind it to keep it company. I left the framed certificate on our dining room table to show Caroline before taking it to work.

 The next day I walked over to the table, looked at the certificate and got a strong and distinct feeling unlike anything I've experienced. It wasn't pride, though it was related to that. It wasn't accomplishment, though it was related to that. It wasn't pleasure, thought it had some of that. It wasn't satisfaction, though it had some of that. When I looked at my certificate I felt a strong and visceral line of connection starting in my center and dropping downwards, slightly rearwards, hundreds of feet into the earth.

I struggled to find a word or phrase to describe this feeling. Something concise instead of that whole sentence. After a couple of weeks of explaining it to a few people, I realized what looking at that certificate does for me: it makes me feel grounded. Grounded in a wholesome, satisfying, accomplished, and good way. It's a lovely sense that simply is, without judgement or pride or anything like that. Just plain grounded in a way I've never felt.

 Thank you, Two Cranes Aikido community and Kimberly Sensei, for all of your care and help to get me to this point in my life where I can experience that sense.

Best,
David