Just A Little Bit Above Average

When I was at work today at [Memorial Hermann Hospital], I was catching up with someone from Transport Services that I hadn't seen in a while, and he mentioned that all he's been doing lately was working and training. To my surprise, he's been training in Jujitsu. For those of you who do not know what Jujitsu is:

[Jujitsu] is a martial art which reflects the movements of the attacker back upon him or her. It has been practiced in Japan since the sixteenth century, although Jujitsu has its origins in Chinese martial arts. Jujitsu uses a series of joint locks, small weaponry, and defensive tactics in combination with conserved energy to neutralize an attacker. Many other martial arts such as Judo and Aikido have their roots in Jujitsu. The word “Jujitsu” means the practice of gentleness, and in addition to learning the moves associated with Jujitsu, students also make changes in their characters. Jujitsu is supposed to focus and calm the students, with the aim of making them better martial artists and more refined individuals as well. The movements of Jujitsu are efficient, flowing, and circular, and it is a distinctly beautiful martial art to watch. Jujitsu is also usually practiced within a very small circle, and many Jujitsu moves have been refined for close quarters fighting. Jujitsu reached its heyday during the Tokugawa Shogunate, when weapons were forbidden to most Japanese citizens. Jujitsu incorporates joint locking and arresting movements which are extremely useful in hand to hand combat where neither warrior has a weapon. When used correctly, it is also possible to disarm with a joint lock. Grappling, take downs, throws, and strangulation also play a role in Jujitsu.

 At first, I'm thinking how awesome it is to do something that not many people do. A talent, a hobby, a gift, it's something that makes you different. Which made me think about myself.. I don't really do anything special, or at least I don't think so. Thinking about it now, I can do many things however none of which very well..

[A jack of all trades. An expert of none.]

I want to work on something that makes me different. Something that takes skill, practice, strength, & stamina. A couple of things that came to my mind were:

• Martial Arts
• Triathlon
• Music
• Cooking
• Building a Motorcycle
• Dancing

Perhaps I just want to do something that separates me from the rest and gives me a sense of accomplishment, or maybe something that will make me just a little bit above average.