I was trying to explain to my daughter this morning that I was sore from training, but that it was "a good kind of sore." To her young mind, the idea of a good kind of pain was crazy-talk. How could something hurt and be a good thing?
In this is encapsulated an idea found in the writings of Marcus Aurelius:
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
Sometimes summarized as "the obstacle is the way." It is valuable to be reminded that few things in life come freely. Anything worth doing comes through overcoming challenge. Nothing worth having is easy.
So too, even when I have a hard time consciously being aware of my training growth. Sometimes it's the pain, the challenge, the frustration, that can be the sign that something worthwhile is actually happening.
I may feel like I'm lost and stuck on a plateau, but that "good kind of sore" can be a reminder that I'm still walking the path.
Listen to the podcast "Walking With The Tengu" at: https://anchor.fm/walkingtengu for analysis and thoughts on how classic works are meaningful to the modern martial artist.