# Coming Up For Air

- Link: https://brianejohns.com/2025/10/27/coming-up-for-air/
- Published: 2025-10-27T11:30:00-04:00
- Author: Brian Johns

## Dang! I’ve gone too long without writing a post!

I’ve been buried in more work than usual over the last few months, juggling work
across three municipalities. The summer months were especially intense. Things have
slowly been returning to some normalcy – only a year or two before I retire for 
good. I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel….or is that a train coming
at me?

Anyway, it helps that, within the past week, one of the municipalities changed my
schedule in a very favorable direction, a change that will give me more time, among
other things, to resume blogging. This change has been set through the end of January
2026 and hopefully beyond.

In addition to my work, I’ve been teaching private lessons and classes, leaving 
little time for blogging. Straight up with you, I’ve been often exhausted at the
end of the day.

I’ve got a few topics lined up and hope to return to regular blogging from here 
on out. Stay tuned!

If you are not able to view this video, go [here](https://youtu.be/aq92sWWU4FM?si=etly7Lr9qxr8e4hD).

I recently watched the above video, and I have mixed feelings about it. On the one
hand, I like Shaolin Master Shi Heng Yi’s emphasis on self-mastery. At one point
in the video, he states that martial arts training is different than sport training.
I understand where he is coming from, but I slightly disagree with this point. More
specifically, he believes that there is no element of “walking through the valley
of pain” with sports training.

Some of you know that I played football in high school. The infamous “dog days of
August” practice is akin to walking through the valley of pain. We often practiced
three times a day (a 2-hour morning practice, a 1-hour midafternoon special teams
session, and a 2-hour late-afternoon practice). Let me tell you, I learned several
life lessons that have stuck with me to this day.

Otherwise, I do agree that martial arts training is invaluable in building character.
It’s just not the only way to build character. I like the rest of his disquisition
on mastery, respect, the meaning of being a true master and being a student.

## Give your thoughts and impressions of the video!

## Lastly, my apologies for my blogging absence. Stay tuned!

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