Lauren Denton
My 6-year-old is taking karate classes this year. Her desire for it started sometime last school year when she began “hyahing” everything and talking about breaking wooden boards with her hands (thank you Julie Morrow!). We agreed karate would be good for her, if only to channel all this energy.
I couldn’t help but think of how adorable she’d look in her tiny karate uniform (called a gi, which I may or may not know from watching Cobra Kai on YouTube), but I also had a feeling the instructions regarding respect, confidence, self-control and perseverance would be beneficial, too.
I wasn’t surprised that she enjoyed her first class — she came away ready for the next one to start — but what did surprise me were my own feelings about it. As soon as the jabbing and punching (into the air, of course) started, I thought, “Hmm. I wonder if they offer adult karate classes.”
No, I don’t have hidden rage in me or a need to punch anyone, but there’s something about a functional exercise that’s appealing to me — using my muscles and mental energy toward something I can use. Plus, I like anything that increases my strength and makes me feel like I could take someone down if necessary. Over the years, this has manifested itself in an early-20s devotion to Tae-bo (I did the videos in my apartment living room), a years-long desire to hang a big punching bag in the garage (self-defense, of course) and yes, even the kernel of desire to take an adult karate class.
I’ll admit, it may have something to do with the fact that I’m fairly small. I’ve had buckets of comments about my size over the years, my personal favorites being, “Do you ever eat?” and when I was pregnant, “How are you even able to carry that baby?” So any exercise that increases my sense of “In fact, I am strong, I do eat and I carried my children just fine, thank you,” feels really good.
To this end, Matt and I recently went rock climbing at Birmingham Boulders, and I loved it. It was hard, it made my forearms and fingers scream and I was sore for a few days afterward, but I’m now wondering if rock climbing has potential to be the new cure for writer’s block. It’s impossible to think about much else (like plot holes, difficult characters or timeline confusion) while you’re hoisting yourself up a wall using your toes and the tips of your fingers and trying simultaneously not to fall off the wall and not completely embarrass yourself. As Book 4 hovers in front of me, it’s possible a yearly membership at the climbing gym may be in my future.
So while Sela is learning valuable life-skills, self-confidence and how to channel her energy into controlled movements, I’m going to keep looking for ways to increase my own strength and self-confidence, and hopefully Matt will continue doing it alongside me. It’s a lot of fun, and if we’re encouraging our kids to try new things to see what they like, we figure we should be good role models of that. Plus, I have nine short months until I hit 40.
And while I think back fondly on that 22-year-old Tae-bo-kicking her way across the apartment, I also take a pleasure in knowing that at this age, I could probably take her down.
My novels “The Hideaway” and “Hurricane Season” are available wherever books are sold. “Glory Road” releases in March, 2019. You can reach me by email at Lauren@LaurenKDenton.com, visit my website LaurenKDenton.com or find me on Instagram @LaurenKDentonBooks, Twitter @LaurenKDenton or on Facebook ~LaurenKDentonAuthor.