When I attended Law School in 1998, I was a bundle of nerves. I was freaking out because I was faced with the challenge of being in law school that had one of the top two bar passage rates in one of the toughest states to become a lawyer (Florida State University). When I got there, one of my sisters from another mister encouraged me to find a Karate school to challenge my energy.
So, in the fall of 1999, during my 2nd year of law school, I found a small dojo that instantly became my second home. I don’t know how it happened.
Maybe it was the Chief Instructor, Sensei (now MASTER) Anne Radke. A strong, confident, self assertive professional running an Advertisement agency AND her own Karate school.
Maybe it was her daughter, my kindred spirit and my ROAD DAWG (we went to almost every Karate Tournament together), Sensei (now RENSHI) Lisa Roddenberry. She and I both were the highest ranking and, coincidentally, the same age (i.e. the oldest) so we were often given similar tasks.
Maybe it was the small nature of the school. The closeness of the students. Or my awesome Dojo Brothers (Dillon, Turner) or Dojo Sisters (Buffy, Debbie, Liz).
Either way, this school became my escape. My mind went to a different place when I was in class. Every Tuesday and Thursday night I would arrive for Kickboxing at 6, Karate at 7 and stay after to talk until about 9. At least one Saturday a month, I was on the road with a bunch of my classmates heading to a Tournament which usually began with us road tripping over together at around 7:00am to drive from Tallahassee to Jacksonville (about 2 1/2 hour drive). And the day would end around 5:00pm, followed by dinner at Golden Corral and then arriving back in Tallahassee around 9 pm.
I didn’t realize it but those escapes made it possible for me to focus. Those escapes made it possible for me to recharge. Those escapes made it possible for me take a break from the stress of getting through law school.
Never underestimate the peace and comfort that comes from finding those outlets. You will need them and value them.
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