Hope In A Time of Uncertainty

New York City, March 7th, 2020. We were at the dojo preparing for Keith McKinley’s Philly Pro Am Tournament. I was working my hardest to drum up some bodies to fill the seats on the 56 passenger charter bus that I had reserved. My intention was to create a memorable experience for the students.

I had the slight feeling that I had bit off more than I could chew. Nevertheless, we were off to Philly first thing in the morning. The bus was half full, but everyone was comfortable. I remember how silence filled the bus when the driver coughed a few times. We peered at one another then laughed it off making “Rona” jokes. We arrived at the tournament and were greeted by awkward elbow bumps. Martial Artists shake hands and bow to one another. This was strange, but we had a tournament to win so I didn’t waste the energy questioning these novel gestures. The tournament went well and filled everyone with excitement for the upcoming events…. Not too long after, New York City was shut down.

Fast forward to May 15th, 2020.. 203,000 COVID19 cases in the city with 29,000 deaths in the state, we had no idea what we were in for. Now that we are on the eve of opening things back up, we are faced with great uncertainty, fear and doubt. No one could hint toward the next move. This was all new. One thing was for certain, most were suffering from cabin fever. Feverish for any type of social interaction. Unsure whether the gratitude of the interaction would be worth the possible harmful or fatal effects to themselves or a loved one.

The dojo has been functioning virtually. Sometimes making me feel like a Saturday morning cartoon character from my youth. Students were tuning in. Some pushing hard while some require an extra push. I loved the reaction when I would give a student a correction. Especially if the student had gazed off or maybe thought I wasn’t watching! Despite the dire circumstance, we were for the most part thriving. We enrolled over twice as many students over the month of May than any time in the dojo’s history! We made ZERO dollars, but so far has been worth meeting the new students. The hope that I felt and saw in the faces of the students (new and old) was priceless to me! We made connections and this helped cultivate a new way to do things at Elite Martial Arts of Brooklyn.

Now we are saying farewell to May and welcoming June in with a massive decrease in fatalities and hospitalizations in our city. That is what hope looks like. We pushed through this challenging time together. We bonded on new levels with family and friends. We reconnected with ourselves and others. Despite the pain and suffering, we are here, strong and ready. Ready for a new beginning.

My heart goes out to everyone who we lost during this time. My advice is not to move unequipped and with haste. This is a time to reset your finances and priorities. Focus on your health (mental, physical and spiritual) and experience life to it’s fullest (without over extending yourself of course). Before this all happened we were really focused on the gratification of material items. I hope that we can place more focus on experiences and a little less on things.

Sensei Radiant

Elite Martial Arts of Brooklyn