My Opa was one of the neatest men I ever knew. You know when you’re a kid or younger adult you don’t always realize how special a grandpa is. But even as a young girl I looked up to him and was in awe of him.
He survived World War II as a German soldier. He was shot in the stomach and Americans picked up him, got him to their hospital, did surgery and saved his life. He had this huge scar across his chest and stomach that I always stared at when we went swimming together. And he was always happy to tell the story.
He was an engineer after the war and helped design a sled that’s still used in the Arctic.
In later years, whenever I’d go to Germany to visit, he’d always he studying something new. He loved to study English and was quite proficient. He loved to garden, bike, hike, study architect, watch the news, read in English, and learn from others in his village. He could build just about anything.
He never quit learning, his whole life. When he came to visit me he spent half his time studying how my house was built because it was so different than his.
I’ve realized over the last couple of years that I want to be like him! I want to push myself to learn something new every year, even every month. I want to do hard things that push me past where I don’t think I can go.
Recently our family joined Taekwondo and let me tell you, it definitely pushes you past what you think you can do! It’s not for the faint of heart!
What I’ve found is that it’s not just the physical push. There’s a mental push in needing to know the terms, the pledge, counting in Korean, remembering the forms. Then there’s the emotional push as well. Pushing myself and my kids to go when we’re tired and it’s cold out and we rather stay inside. Pushing past the soreness and mental strain.
The whole family is learning the importance of diligence and discipline. We don’t get to just show up once or twice to class and expect we have it all down. We have to show up ready to learn and do hard things. And we have to show up over and over so we can go to the testing confidently. Not only that but we want to be proud of what we’ve accomplished by doing it well.
It’s probably true that you could find a way to slide by and do Taekwondo half-heartedly and still pass a test. But then, what could we be proud of? What did we learn? In the end, it’s not worth it.
My Opa taught me, if you’re going to do something, do it well. Be exceptional. Push past your limits. And, of course, do it with your friends!
Desired Haven Farm 