B

April   26th

THINGS  HAPPEN  IN  TRAINING

“When   your    sparring    partner scratches   or  head-butts  you,    you don’t   then    make    a   show    of  it, or

protest,    or  view    him with    suspicion   or  as  plotting    against you.    And yet you keep    an  eye on  him,

not as  an  enemy   or  with    suspicion,  but with    a   healthy avoidance.  You should  act this    way with

all things  in  life.   We  should  give    a   pass    to  many    things  with    our fellow  trainees.   For,    as  I’ve

said,   it’s    possible    to  avoid   without suspicion   or  hate.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS,   MEDITATIONS,    6.20

y seeing each day and each situation as a kind of training exercise, the stakes suddenly become a lot
lower. The way you interpret your own mistakes and the mistakes of others is suddenly a lot more
generous. It’s certainly a more resilient attitude than going around acting like the stakes of every encounter
put the championship on the line.
When you catch an elbow or an unfair blow today, shake off the pain and remind yourself: I’m
learning. My sparring partner is learning too. This is practice for both of us—that’s all. I know a bit
more about him or her, and from my reaction, they’re going to learn a little bit more about me too.