“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) I would rather learn from the multitude of small lessons that we can find hidden under rocks, inside a smile, in the gentle nod of a person walking by, then the bigger lessons. The smaller lessons can teach…
Author: markdeso
Week 3 Day 1
I’ve decided that 140 characters are not sufficient to relay my thoughts for my morning work outs. Read it, don’t read it… it’s ok! 😀 These are for me to reflect on. So it’s ok if you roll your eyes. It’s ok if you don’t read. I’m going to commit to these posts for a…
Multicultural Food and Music Festival
I just came back from this and feel the need to try and reach EVERYBODY that is local to come and support this event. This is a two day event, it’s free and the music was awesome. My son and I arrived when a duet was performing French folk music. We had a great local…
Lessons from a master
Our Aikido school took a field trip today to the Asian Arts Museum in San Francisco. Currently, they are running an exhibit called “The Lords of the Samurai” that had artifacts depicting the cultural and combative aspects of fuedal Japan. It was a beautiful exhibit and amongst many beautiful displays, they had a calligraphy piece…
Beginners Mind – Reflecting on my son’s first Aikido test
My son is taking his 5th Kyu test in Aikido today. Although there will be other tests in his life on the mat, in school, in his career, this is his first in Aikido. He already has major accomplishments in Tae Kwon Do, currently ranked as a 2nd degree black belt, active in his school,…
So now I’m on the far side of my 40s
A couple of days ago I celebrated my 46th birthday. The day before my sweet friend Tania took me to a wonderful dinner. I contemplated a couple of things I wanted to do on my birthday, and decided that I wanted to celebrate it alone, in my new home. For anyone that follows me on…
Father’s Day is done
And today pretty much couldn’t have been a more perfect day. Breakfast at Tubby’s in Cotati is something my son and I do once or twice a month so it was fitting that we started there. We drove out to the coast and rented Kayaks from John at Lotus Kayaks (707 865-9604). John is a…
Father’s day
The eve before her daughter’s birthday, my friend Alicia commented online about how she remembered that night. How she remembers the music, the labor and the beautiful anticipation of welcoming her daughter into the world. As a man, I can’t possibly know what it’s like to go through the throes of labor. I can absolutely…
The Third Option
Every six months or so our Aikido dojo holds a beginners day. We open up the dojo for our sensei’s energy class, Yang style Tai Chi and Aikido to the public. This gives opportunity for our Sensei to talk about not just the fundamentals of Aikido, but one of the fundamental essences of the art;…
How KodenKan spirit helps my Aikido training
I’ve been tired lately. i’m attempting to buy a condo and it’s.. well it’s draining. Lots of things to think about, what do these reports mean? I have to pay what to which appraiser? All of this, along with a back that’s been bugging me and work kicking my ass is taking a toll on…
Mark's Meanderings 