Dads, Choices, and To-Shin Do

My Dad was an amazing and complicated man. He was obsessed with work (I strive to be more balanced and I sometimes succeed), loved his family, and had trouble expressing emotions. One day when we sitting by the pool, I was complaining that boys could pee standing up and girls can't. Yup, I was about 5 and yes, it's something I'm still a little jealous of. My Dad looked at me very solemnly and said, "Well, why don't you become a boy then".
Me: "Silly Daddy. You can't just change like that."
Dad: "You can. It's not easy but the leprechauns say that if you can kiss your elbow, you'll change into a boy, or a girl, if you are already a boy."

I thought this magic sounded wonderful; I wanted the ability to change gender and pick the right tools for the job with just a simple kiss. Wow. It turns out kissing your elbow isn't easy, however. I know because I tried for days and every once in awhile, I try again just to see. Then I started to get scared because what if I got stuck...AS A BOY. Ick. Horrors. No can do.

So back I went to my Dad (who I'm pretty sure had forgotten that he'd told me the tale) and solemnly declared that I didn't want to get stuck being a boy and I was happy being a girl, thank you very much.

The moral of the story that I intended to share is this: I'm proud to be a girl and I got that gift from Dad. Having a free week for Dads this week is my way of saying thank-you.

But as I wrote, I had a second realization. Even at age 5, I was looking for ways to be more capable, to have more choices at my fingertips (or elbow). Is it any surprise that I found this To-Shin Do path? Through the elements, we get to enhance our natural talents, and develop ways of being that are new to us. We get to develop the opportunity for choices. We get to love who we are in this skin, and not wish for someone else's.

Dads, I hope you'll join us this week.

http://www.boulderquest.com/events/free-week-for-dads/

To-Shin,
Mary Aitoshi
Warrior of the Loving Blade