Pride, purpose, and the LA Dodgers

Before I start typing my nonsense, apologies in advance if things don’t make sense or flow from thought to thought….Been a long day celebrating here. My LA Dodgers won the World Series Baseball today and I couldn’t be more effen stoked!! It’s funny how something as simple as a baseball game can trigger such a high. I’ve followed em almost as long as I have my footy team here in Brisbane.

Anyway, after training today, a few of us went out for our usual Sunday coffee and chat. It’s become a bit of a ritual, post-sweat reflection and shit talking over caffeine. The conversation kind of drifted toward what we all want in life. It was interesting because half the people I train with or teach are close to retiring. For many of them, life after work is about finding something new to fill the gap or spending more time doing what they already love.

When it came to me, I realised I couldn’t really name a single thing I truly want. I’m happy with my job and even in retirement, I’ll probably keep working until the day I die. I already have enough free time to do the things I love... and nothing material makes me happy. No big dreams, no fancy plans, no desire to splash out money on hookers. But then watching the Dodgers play and win afterwards, I understood something about myself. That natural high, that surge of energy and maybe pride, that’s what matters to me.

That high also did remind me of the opposite feeling when my Brisbane Broncos (my footy team here), lost the grand final two years ago. I was a shattered mess. Couldn’t even watch TV, avoided newspapers, switched off from all news for several months. It wasn’t just disappointment; it was heartbreak that lingered and lingered. When it comes to sports, maybe I’m too emotionally invested for my own good. The missus definitely thinks so.

And then we have this year’s OGKK kata tournament in Okinawa. I was totally shattered about being “disqualified.” I knew I had won, my fellow competitors, and even their grannies knew I was the real winner. I didn’t need a medal or certificate to validate it, but it still hurt. Winning to me isn’t about ego; it’s probably about me unknowingly fulfilling a promise I make to myself every time I take something on with intent. ‘Losing’ isn’t an option, not because I can’t handle defeat, but because being half-hearted simply isn’t in my nature. That same standard applies in my dojo. I expect students to bring pride to their training, to at least wear a proper gi that fits, to move with intent, to show they’re there for more than just the motions and not just for the coffee or beers after.

I know I often shrug things off and say “yeah yeah, whatever is ok,” but maybe that’s just habit. Deep down, whatever I do whether it’s karate, gardening, cheering on a footy team, or baseball team halfway across the world, I naturally do it with pride n passion. Maybe what I’m really saying is that we all need something that stirs our spirit, something that makes us feel alive. For me, that spark comes from stepping into the dojo, watching my students grow, or seeing the Dodgers win a close series. It’s that satisfaction of knowing you’re part of something worth believing in and feeling it in your bones. Crap, does that even make sense?

Karate, baseball, life…… it’s all the same lesson really. Go hard or go make coffees for everyone.  

Quick baseball viewing break.

Well done Miggy - Exactly how I was feeling!

More Japanese members in the dodgers than there are karate tourists in Okinawa...ossssssu