Oddly, two days after my last Judo class of the year this Sunday (a visit to the Annex Judo Academy) my Judo aches seem more acute than during ordinary class-to-class time since September. Between September and now I only missed two classes: one optional Thursday session which conflicted with another obligation and the final (extra, post-term) Saturday class because I just hadn’t had enough sleep.
Perhaps the elevated aches now that the pressure is off are because my philosophy has been to keep going with it, often taking special care to avoid further injury in one place or another, rather than taking breaks and missing classes.
Having ribs heal, in particular, is a multi-week issue, as a number of the more experienced students have reinforced for me. I hope the repetitive stresses of Judo will eventually make them stronger, and that I will eventually develop a layer of muscle between them and my skin.
Tomorrow includes the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere: the moment when we are tilted most away from the sun and the astronomical beginning of winter. I hope the winter will be a productive one: my PhD puzzlement will resolve into the elusive puzzle and I will come up with a way to keep being useful in the climate fight during these challenging times.
I will be getting out a bit into the High Park woods tomorrow.
I hope you enjoyed the walk in the High Park woods. These inner city woods are such a sanctuary from the concentration and pace of the city.