no crying in aikido

my sensai said that one day. he was mis-quoting from the tom hanks movie about the girl baseball team; the title escapes me at the moment.

and it definitely applies to aikido. there isn't room for crying. i've seen someone crying on the mat though. and i've felt like it once or twice. sometimes the pain is incredibly vivid & jagged. but i think at times like those, i should be one with the pain. i shouldn't fight the pain, but let it pass through me. that is very difficult.

and i'm trying to keep that mindset with me even outside of the dojo. especially to keep it with me on the job.

because really, what does crying solve? absolutely nothing. it would be nice if i were one of those people whom crying helps. they feel better after letting everything out, sobbing & carrying on. i don't. i feel just as bad as before crying. except now my sinuses are a mess, and my eyes & throat are sore. definitely a net loss there.