Oh, Jiu-Jitsu, how I love thee.
It’s been so long, yet you welcome me
Back to the mats of purest white.
My brain is strong, but my jiu-jitsu is not quite right.
I thought I could roll with the big guys,
But apparently that wasn’t so wise.
People should have been none the wiser,
But, alas! I came home with a great big shiner!
I thought I could move quick and hard,
But instead I feel like a 90-year-old bucket of lard.
My brain is about ten steps ahead,
While my legs feel like they’re filled with lead.
Jiu-jitsu is meant to be the great equalizer,
But my body feels like it has gone through a meat tenderizer.
My eye is swollen and turning all colors of the rainbow.
It should be fun explaining this one to my beau.
He is so supportive of my craziness
He just smiles when I come home a mess.
I whine about all my aches and pains.
He grins and says “You pay for those gains!”
I’m not 100% sure why,
But I have a massive bruise on my thigh.
Where do I get these things, you ask?
Well, I am still not quite up to the task.
My body is not quite ready for competition,
But my brain is ready for the repetition
Of training to win
Even with a bruised up shin.
So what is the next stage in my plan?
Simply try to keep up with the rest of the clan.
I’m not sure what this all entails,
But I know the training is in the details.
I hope to compete again this fall,
But I definitely need help from them all.
I have the best teammates in all the world
They help me keep my wings unfurled.
Is jiu-jitsu easy? Not at all!
But, when duty begins to call,
I know I can be ready for what is needed
Because the training I have heeded.
Comfort is not a quality awarded
Especially when your plan is thwarted.
But learning to fight through pain and sorrow
Is a skill no one can borrow.
So, even through beat up body and emotion
I’m not sure why, but I get the notion
To work off my tail
And try to prevail.
Jiu-jitsu has been quite the journey.
It may even lead me back to the tourney.
But what it is that has been taught?
More about myself than I could have ever thought.
Oh, jiu-jitsu, how I love thee!
I can’t believe what I’ve learned about me.
There is a fighting spirit inside this fleshly wall
That is trying to give her strengthening all.
So through all the injuries thus far
I’m learning what my strengths really are.
The black eye, broken nose, and dislocated collar bone
Are not the only things that are known.
I’ve learned my body can handle pain.
I’ve learned my brain cannot be slain.
My teammates push me to the brink,
So that I grow and do not shrink.
Oh, jiu-jitsu, how I love thee!
I hope I never stray from this learning spree!
You have taught me more than I could have guessed,
And for this, I am so crazy blessed!
Imperfection At Its Finest 