Sir

Today’s blog is going to be about someone who has literally been a part of my life since I was born. He has influenced me into becoming the person I am today more than anyone. Now, you’re probably thinking I mean that in a good way…which, sure—he’s done a lot of positive things for me. However, he was more like that ex-military step father who wanted the best for you but only knew how to relay the message by being unforgiving and stern.

My dad started Tae Kwon Do in his late teens and I was born a few years after. He would bring me into his classes in my car seat and once I was old enough to start the classes, I was thrown right in (age 5). My instructor (I’ll refer to him as ‘Sir’ because that’s what we were told to call him and I still to refer to him as such to this day) was intimidating and harsh. If you were out of line, he would pick you up by your belt and yell at you, or slap you with a stick in the thigh. There were also those days where he would make you stand on a cinder block and hold a board over your head. If it ever touched your head, you’d be doing drop pushups til the cows came home (basically burpees). I always did what Sir said because I was terrified of being punished. My form was impeccable (another reason why I am super anal about my lifting forms being precise as well; just a habit) but when it came to being able to keep up, I was never able to. I remember we used to warm up by running around the room and he wouldn’t let the other faster kids pass me. I could hear their comments from behind me as they tried not to step on my heels and I would eventually end up crying—which was never acceptable in his class either.

I don’t want to make Sir sound like a bad guy. I didn’t think so then, but I knew he wanted the best for me and I think that’s why he was so hard on me. He pushed me to the breaking point and I am a stronger and more determined person because of it. He’s honestly like another father to me; someone I’ve worked my entire life trying to impress. It wasn’t until I was about 21 years old that he gave me my first compliment. I will never forget a single thing about that workout because of it…tire flips, tire pulls and sprinting outside on a sweltering hot day and bag work inside. Because of a hectic college/sports/two jobs schedule, I had stopped going to his class. I haven’t seen him in a few years and to this day I am still terrified of running into him. I wouldn’t be able to handle him saying something negative to me. However, one day I hope to be confident enough to stop by and show him how far I’ve come since then.

The next person I would like a life altering comment from would be myself; I'm talking about being able to look into the mirror and actually like that I see. 2012 feels like it’s going to be a pretty productive and positive year so I am very excited