Trust the process

I’ve been guilty of chuckling in delight when I find something on Amazon and see the beloved “Same Day Delivery.” Part of human nature is that we don’t want to wait. We want to move as fast and efficiently as possible. We want life hacks, cheat codes, and shortcuts. And none of those are inherently bad things to want.

But so often, people spend so long searching their map for a shortcut, that they’ve wasted all their daylight, and now the trail is too dark to hike. 

And here’s the thing, if you’ve ever gone hiking, you know that there’s pretty no such thing as a linear trail taking you from point A to point B. But you trust the trail that others before you have blazed. You know it will take you to your intended destination. But it’s going to require a lot of effort, and sometimes you may not understand why we seem to be taking a big roundabout path to our destination (hint, it’s because there’s a bog that we’re trying to avoid.)

Self-defense doesn’t come with same-day shipping. It’s not something that can be packaged or wrapped into a single seminar or secret scroll (that’s something Kung-Fu Panda got right). It sometimes feels like taking a detour, or pausing to find shelter for a coming storm.

Here’s the thing, I can answer most of the “why” questions. And I love doing it. But sometimes I’m guiding a new hiker along the trail who keeps asking questions. Questions that require us to stop walking so I can explain. And occasionally, all that stopping causes some of the hikers to get frustrated with their perceived lack of progress and give up. Often, among the quitters is the very person causing all the stoppages in the first place.

So remember: there’s no such thing as a bad question, but there is such a thing as a poorly timed one. When we’ve earned your trust as teachers, trust us enough to allow us the privilege of keeping our momentum in class. Find the right times to ask your questions, and until that time comes, I invite you to trust the process. It comes with lots of spectacular views.