Empty martial arts dojo representing the search for the perfect teacher

I was the only kid in my group who actually did martial arts, and I was the last one to see The Karate Kid. By two years.Go figure.By the time I caught it on VHS, my friends had already ruined the ending, ...

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Whole fish displayed in white crates filled with ice at a fish market.

Behind the Kitchen Door.The Japanese have a term, kitsui shigoto.Hard work. Dirty work. The kind that doesn't wash off easy.I thought I knew what it meant.I'd spent weekends scrubbing pots and pans in my father's restaurant since I was nine, standing inside ...

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Close-up of a black belt tied around a gi

On symbols, assumptions, and letting the work speak. Rank is supposed to clarify things. Experience. Authority. Where someone stands. But it often does the opposite. It invites assumptions, stories, and judgments that say more about the observer than the person being observed. This ...

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Anime-style illustration of a middle-aged man standing in front of a blurred mirror, reflecting on personal transformation and shame.

A fat loss story no one really tellsI wasn't going to write about weight loss. Too many of those stories already exist. But this isn't really about that. It's about shedding expectations, and finding a way of living that finally made sense ...

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