MARCH NEWS
UKC Kicks off 25th Anniversary Year
We had a great Open House and Shiai on February 26th to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sensei Mason teaching Martial Arts in Plantation. We plan to continue the Jubilee throughout the year with a succession of special events. For March we will have FREE classes for new students every Friday (11:00 am and 6:45 pm for Adults and 6:00 pm for Juniors six to fourteen) and Saturday (11:00 am for Adults and Juniors). All students and parents are encouraged to invite their friends and acquaintances who live in West Broward. Comfortable workout wear and a filled- out Registration form are all that you need. For children 3-5 years old please call to arrange an appointment.
Order and Harmony: in Martial Arts and in Life
“First there must be order and harmony within your own mind. Then this order will spread to your family, then to the community, and finally to your entire kingdom. Only then can you have peace and harmony
.” ~ConfuciusAmericans are busy people and as such are usually trying to accomplish many things at once, especially if they are parents and even more so if they are single parents. With over half of the women who are parents working full time, efficiency and time management are a necessity. It is often difficult for a parent to set aside time for their own recreation in addition to all of the other demands that must be fulfilled with regard to their children and their jobs and their households; so we are delighted when families train together; however, this can also pose challenges for us as well as for the families The class schedule at the karate school has been particularly designed to accommodate as many different times and days as possible. Many karate schools that often charge more money actually offer fewer classes.
Over the years we have been faced with the challenge of parents who have children that they would like to leave at the karate school, before or after class, while they take class, or shop, or kibitz or run errands. This presents us with a dilemma. While we want to accommodate our clients we also need to consider the efficient management of the office and the responsibility of tending to children outside of their normal class times. Even the best behaved children can be noisy, distracting and bored with waiting which leaves the staff in the position of not really being able to get on with their work running the karate school.
The question then becomes what is the best way to achieve order and harmony since it appears that order (the business of the karate school) may sometimes be in conflict with harmony (the needs and wishes of our clients).
It would be great if we could just let people do what they want without having to consider the consequences, but it is not feasible. Martial Arts requires a certain order, and that discipline extends from the Dojo to the office, where we often deal with the needs of many people at the same time.
Suggestions for busy people include: bringing a friend who can look after the kids while you train, asking someone to pick up the kids after their class, hooking up with another student here who might have the same situation and share duties, perhaps by alternating classes each week so that everyone gets a little of what they want.
It is a universal principle that the natural order of all things is a given. Our joy is in seeking to discover the harmony within that natural order.
© 2005 Sensei Robert H. Mason