APAD: Ships that pass in the night

Meaning: People who meet once and form a close bond, but never meet again

 

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Unlike many martial arts, Jiu-jitsu allows full force in sparring. We still have

to mind injuries and do get injured from time to time but, with some rules, one

grapples as one would in the street. At the end of a round, win or lose, one

respects the other's skill and will to fight. Day in day out, there forms a

special bond.

 

Quite a few left since I began two years ago. Coach Gene, who always watched out

for me, as if I needed special attention, and wrapped the first stripe on my

white belt, went home to New England to open his own gym. The muscle-bound

judoka Harsh, after finishing at Stanford, returned to work for his sponsor in

Milwaukee. There were Steve, a squat ABC blue belt who was friendly to me from

day one, Danny the wiry surfer, who had the same body type as me and was a great

training partner, and Stephan the ninja, the featherweight purple belt champion

who caught me in so many triangles and arm-bars and was a great inspiration...,

ships that passed in the night.

所有跟帖： 

• Congrats for your white belt ! :)) -盈盈一笑间- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 10:21:46

• Thanks. That's a lifetime achievement! :-))) -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 10:23:49

• White belt is the highest rank? Not black? -方外居士- ♂ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 10:36:52

• White is lowest but the first stripe was to me a big deal. -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 10:39:49

• YY and I were joking again :-) -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 10:40:11

• Nope. I do think you may feel proud of yourself for -盈盈一笑间- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 10:48:01

• Your first white belt! 可喜可贺！：）） -盈盈一笑间- ♀ (167 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 10:48:56

• A good start is half the battle.～～ -盈盈一笑间- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 10:58:54

• That's true. Everyone gets a white belt when they show up, -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 11:02:27

• but the first stripe was the toughest for a lot of peeps. -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 11:03:37

• Could not agree more with you.：） -盈盈一笑间- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 11:34:36

• Martial arts is cool. -Oona- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 12:21:25

• It's good for health but when I'm smashed under, the last -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 13:46:37

• thing I think is cool :-) -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 13:47:07

• Lol ：）硬输。我会一点舞剑，不对打没输赢：） -Oona- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 14:25:22

• No. In your art, there's only to be or not to be :-) -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 14:38:10

• won't see each other in the morning :) -CBA7- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 12:25:34

• It's a small community. I'm sure I'm going to see them again -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 13:48:14

• Life is enriched by such encounters. More the merrier -waterfowl- ♂ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 13:48:35

• You bet! The mat forces you to grow in so many ways. -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 13:55:10

• Nice writing. A little like 萍水相逢 in Chinese. -godog- ♂ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 16:22:57

• 我也想到这句了。。 -盈盈一笑间- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 17:33:45

• Thanks! 萍水相逢 does seem to imply a bond. -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 17:38:43

• left a good memory -天边一片白云- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 18:00:47

• Indeed. A special experience. -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 10/31/2023 postreply 19:48:27