Thursday, September 11, 2014

The path to....many paths

First of all, let me start off by saying... I am not a martial arts expert. Hold all your "how long you been training?" questions for someone who cares. I am just a bold female, with a bold perception and a permeating taste for the truth. The words "tradition" , " warrior" , "honor" , "integrity" all ring feverishly in my ears.
If you are into store bought gimmicks, following the median lines of typical consumeristic bullshit, please move on.If you are afraid to ask yourself "what am I REALLY doing?"
This blog is not for you.
If you are moderately interested in learning a little more about  culture , traditions, sensational people and experiences, please stay tuned. If you are searching for a way to reconnect with life, people,yourself....I hope you can be inspired.

Secondly ,
I was wholeheartedly inspired by one person. Period. The shear fact that I met this person, was in truest form, kismet. I had no intentions of forcing myself into his life, yet..here I am..all up in it.
This man is Andrey Karimov.
Never heard of him? Me either.
Wanna find out more?
Me too.
And we will, together, I promise.
Life is too short NOT to seek out what really matters. For me right now, what matters most, is that I TRY and live my life to the best , fullest, most enriched I can. I spent the last 6 months battling for my own life, my health, my psyche...so this...is no small task at all. I will be the very first to admit, I am a complete hot mess. But being a hot mess, lead me to do some serious soul searching, and hot damn, if I didn't find some part of my lost self.
The journey I've been on to get to this point, is mind boggling. There has not been a day that has gone by since I've met Mr. Karimov, that I haven't asked myself "how the f*ck did I get here?"
Not one day.
Mr.Karimov has all but allowed me into glimpses of a Traditional Cossack past, that I had absolutely ZERO knowledge of more than a month ago. He has allowed me to randomly pick his brain, ask the weirdest of questions and Google Translate ourselves into the world of foreign culture. And through this savant-like human being I have learned more than enough to die absolutely happy.And, I know there is more.
He is an effervescent reminder that...we all came from somewhere ; we all need to belong.

I'm only writing from my personal experiences. I am not much of a writer, more of a story teller. I will try not to rant, rage, or otherwise. Along this journey, I have encountered some of the nicest, meanest, douchiest, sweetest people ever. I've witnessed tragedy, triumph, love, loss, defeat and resurrection. I've lost friends, made enemies and made better friends....and bigger enemies.
As much as I think this blog may be about working and learning from Mr. Karimov, I have a feeling it will be much , much more.







"When a tradition gathers enough strength to go on for centuries, you don't just turn it off one day."
Chinua Achebe