Self-Defense Lessons at the Intersection of Mindfulness and Salad

A brief word of warning: The content of this blog entry represents a special kind of realization for me. For just the other night, the actual culmination of my decades of martial arts training came down to a few simple moments in the kitchen with my daughter — when a number of "radical" approaches to "self-defense" suddenly united in harmony.

You see, for a few years now, I've been writing about how self-defense is more than physical — more than blocking and punching and repeating forms on the training deck. Now, all of that is important, of course. I still do a lot of punching and kicking every week. But I've said a number of times and in a thousand different ways now, that the aspects of meaningful self defense also necessarily include the quality of our diet and our relationships, our level of mindfulness, and our ability to create spontaneously and joyfully in response to our environment.

So what happened in the kitchen? Well, the other night, my warrior's response to the age old question "What's for dinner?" Came down to this: Make salad. Consciously. With whatever materials are at hand. Do it with maximum creativity and fun, and use it as an opportunity to TEACH.

So with no real plans for what I would be making for a meal, I rummaged through the fridge and pulled out everything I could find that was edible, live, and colorful. I spread the materials (a yellow pepper, blueberries, strawberries, an apple, grapes, and salad greens) — along with some almonds and some cold leftover rotisserie chicken — out on the counter, and I asked my daughter Ava to help me prepare a meal. Not really knowing what to expect or what exactly was about to happen, I grabbed my camera:



In about ten wonderful minutes, I taught my daughter a quick lesson on healthy eating. I also taught her — she's not quite five years old, mind you — how to safely handle a 10-inch kitchen knife. (This, required a lot of patience, and a great deal of trust!)

We playfully chatted about the different colors and textures and origins of all the foods on the counter, sampling and savoring each individual ingredient before tastefully arranging it on the plate. In the end, we ate good, healthy food. We spent quality time together, working as a team. We both learned a few things. We had fun. We created ART.

Which one of us was the student that night? Who was the teacher? Somehow our usual roles got reversed. My opportunity to teach turned out to be an opportunity to LEARN. In the end, I think I learned more in 10 minutes about life, love, and being in the moment than I have in a long, long time. And now, I'm looking forward to my next lesson. And the one after that. (And the one after that...)

And someday, maybe I'll teach Ava how to punch and kick!

Sensei Jason Gould
Emerald Necklace Martial Arts
http://www.karateinboston.com/