The paradox that I think many have felt this year is both how quickly this year has flown by and how slowly time seems to have passed. I think that what has generated this is the fits and starts of our existence since March— both the rapid and dramatic change to our regular schedules and then long periods of physical stasis overlaid with huge volumes of external events happening beyond our cocooned lives. A new “normal”, indeed.
Looking at the Club calendar on Saturday with the picture of Michael S and Sean T at last year’s Festival, I certainly felt a strong sense of absence of our regular August rhythms, especially the regular activities we plan for and participate in. Toowoomba’s Languages and Cultures festival was an early scratching from the calendar, as was the IBF training day usually hosted by Peter Hills sensei in Brisbane, as might well be Carnival of Flowers if we have a resurgence of community transmission in the coming weeks.
Still, we need to continue moving forward with our training and planning for contingencies. This week we hope to set up our Virtual Dojo sessions running out of the CBRC, with the Kendo, Iaido and Jujutsu running via Zoom on Saturday. We will be doing some testing on Tuesday and Thursday night to see if we can get stable connection and useful camera angles. Once we manage this, we will be letting our Club’s diaspora know the relevant log-in details so that they can participate.
I wanted to commend everyone for their efforts over the past fortnight in getting back to the dojo, and in the swing of our COVID-19 protocols this part fortnight. In particular, it was heartening to see near our full compliment return to Kendo this week, and to be able to do full keiko with our new face shields and masks. While it will be a little bit of desensitisation training required in order to get used to the increase of stuffiness caused by the PPE, I am certain that we will be able to improve on both our comfort and our fitness over the coming weeks.
I want to remind everyone that we still need to be vigilant and methodical with our COVID-19 responsibilities. We have managed to mark out one keiko-jo on the dojo floor, and will be marking out the other this week. If you have not done so, please make yourself familiar with the COVID-19 Members’ Charter, which sets out what we all need to do in the dojo.
I wish everyone a happy and productive week. Looks like we will have a bust of typical August weather ahead, with a mix of fine warm days and then a cold damp front washing over us in the later part of the week. Maybe in reminding ourselves of the old normal, we care reconnect and mould it to fit the new. Be safe everyone, and I’ll look forward to seeing you in the dojo!