I usually write some sort of year-end wrap up of what I did in training. Y'know, the trips I took, the seminars I attended, that sort of thing.
Plus any milestones associated to the blog.
Y'know, typical year-end bloggery stuff.
This year... I don't have much to say.
COVID-19 stole most of my martial arts trips and seminars. I did attend a few virtual seminars and camps, and those were fun and interesting.
I wrote a bunch of posts about training in the time of COVID-19. I thought this would be over by now, to be honest, and I was trying to document what it was like for the future (because our memories are short).
I haven't written about it lately because I just don't have anything new to say about it.
This sucks, y'all, and there's no other way I can spin that without being repeatedly a Debbie Downer.
I don't want to spend much time thinking about what happened over 2020 because it's not a year I really want to re-live.
At least one good thing happened for all of us. Virtual, live, two-way training is now a thing. I hope it sticks.
Virtual training makes it a lot easier for people who want to study in a particular style, or with a specific teacher or organization connect with teachers. That's huge, and I don't think we would have gotten past that bias against distance learning (which I also shared, if you recall) if we hadn't been forced to.
So, in the midst of all the schools closing down (maybe forever), one positive thing came out of it.
Alternately, I thought about using this post to look ahead to the new year. To talk about my personal plans and training goals. I've done that too, in the history of this blog.
That's hard to do when I don't know when - or even if - these lockdowns are going to end.
I was supposed to plan to go to the Philippines in 2021. That's not happening.
Any plans to go to Texas to train with my teacher or attend camps is up in the air.
The Modern Arnis Reunion Camp is in Buffalo in August and MAYBE I'll get to go to that?
I dunno.
As a compulsive planner-type, this is incredibly frustrating. By now, I usually have a calendar planned out at least through August.
This year I'm not really sure what I'm doing past January.
So that's all I got. Good riddance, 2020. Here's hoping 2021 is much better, for all of us.
Let me wrap this up by saying thank you to all of you who read the blog, and interact with me via social media. Each and every one of you is appreciated.
Have a safe and happy New Year.
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