Michelle J

An Uninterrupted Shower

Uninterrupted showers are still not a guarantee in my house. We recently moved to a place where my husband and I have our own bathroom–we used to share one with our kids. Back in the old place, I often had to let kids in to use the toilet while I was in the shower. ButContinue reading “An Uninterrupted Shower”

Formula for Success

I’ve been thinking of how to set up my martial arts teaching practice, and today I came up with a formula: The formula seems simple enough. I practice, I write about the practice, I share the writing, and I also share the practice. Sharing means on social media, on here, and with friends or studentsContinue reading “Formula for Success”

August Evening Practice

Much of my martial arts practice these days is unlearning old habits. Releasing old tensions. I picked up some unhealthy movement patterns over my years training in hard-style martial arts, and I ground these movement patterns into my body over many years often at high impact. Martial artists, over time, can have shoulder problems, hipContinue reading “August Evening Practice”

A Plan for Fall

Here we are in the last hot stretch of summer. Fall is zooming into view–the kids start school again in two weeks. This means a more consistent routine, no more stretches of lazy days for them. For me it means it’s time to plan out my fall routines. First and foremost, I’m hoping to leadContinue reading “A Plan for Fall”

Hello, My Love

I recently posted about playing saxophone again with Middle School Jazz Band. At that time, I was playing alto sax with the band. I like playing alto just fine, but a few weeks into playing with the band, the teacher asked if I would show one of the clarinet player students how to play tenorContinue reading “Hello, My Love”