Enlight21

Author: Audrey Kong | Category: Lifestyle | Date: 02-17-2020

When I was in the 4th grade, I was very passionate about Tae-Kwon-Do, a Korean martial arts. I loved it so much that it became my dream to become a Tae-Kwon-Do master. I made many friends and learned so much about both the sport and my culture. One of my friends was very talented and I was in awe of her. Even though she was a grade older than me, she still treated me as a peer. A part of me looked up to her, but the other side of me was frightened of her.

In Tae-Kwon-Do, there is a portion called sparring. It is where the opponents would put on gear and use physical contact. For me, sparring was not my personal favorite because I did not like getting kicked, especially by that one friend. Because I was relatively tall for my age, I would always spare my friend. She kicked so hard that it made me want to cry everytime. She was one of the reasons why I hated going to sparring. My mom would have to drag me to class everyday saying that I need to be more tough. During class, I would try to avoid her, but it was impossible to because she was the only tall person. Eventually, one day when I was sparring her, my emotiions came out and I bursted into tears because I was in so much pain. I coudn't hold it in anymore and so I told her I didn't like being kicked hard. After a while, she stopped coming to class. I was very curious to why and I figured out that she and her sister was in a car accident. Sadly, her sister passed away and she was in a coma. All of my guilt from the moments I hated her rushed in and I became speechless. I felt bad for not being a strong opponent and for not being a better friend. I wanted to thank her for challenging me and making me stronger both as an athelete and a person.

As time flew by and I was getting ready for my 2nd-degree balck belt test. I heard that she was testing again. My fears of getting beat up flew in and I just freaked out. The day of the test came and it was time for the sparring portion. It just happen to be that we were put together as sparring partners. I didn't know how to feel. My mind went blank and I had no emotions, but as I looked back at previous years of sparring with her, I knew I had to change something. It was my attitude. I came into the fight with courage and confidence, rather than being distracted of whether I will get beat up or not. My change in thinking really helped me because in the end, I felt happy. Not happy that I fought well, but rather, happy because I tried my best and really persevered during the hard parts of the fight. I came out with a big smile and bowed to my partner, to show respect.

Now as a Tae-Kwon-Do teacher, I want to be able to encourage my students to continue working hard and persevere through difficult times.

About: Audrey Kong