I did it! I tested yesterday for the rank of 4th kyu in Aikido. Usually you have to wait a week to hear if you passed but Sensei Sheppard broke the rules for me and immediately pulled the white stripes off my belt once the test was over.

Thanks Nat, Michel, David, and Jeff for coming to watch. Loved having friends in the room.

Thanks to the senior belts in our club who’ve all been helping me get ready for the test.

It was a very lovely day. First, the test. Next up, celebratory lunch with friends. Then, listening to three family members perform, as part of the Karen Schussler Singers, John Rutter’s Magnificat. And the evening ended with dancing at a friend’s anniversary party, twenty years of non-wedded bliss! I missed another friend’s 40th birthday in Toronto but you can’t do everything.

I train at the Aiki Budo Centre in London, Ontario. You can read about our dojo here. And you can read past posts about Aikido here.