“I think that we have all experienced passion that is not in any sense reasonable.” -Stephen Fry
Quite recently I lost my mind. Insanity takes many forms, and mine manifested with a membership to an intimidatingly hardcore MMA training gym, Team Quest: a few kickboxing classes and one intro Jiu Jitsu class each week to whip me into shape. The past year has left me needing a way to find my strength and the inspiration to make it happen came from over two thousand miles away.
Oh hai, inspiration.
This incredible man is JB Baker. To me he is many things: puzzling prestidigitator, stunning songbird, innuendo instigator, and all-around partner in crime. To top it all off, he’s now my ass-kicking muse. For him to decide at 39 to be in fighting condition by his 40th birthday struck me in such a way that I had to answer the challenge in my own way. I can’t wait to fly to Chicago to see him dominate his first MMA fight. I’ll be screaming my head off cheering him on and be equipped with an arsenal of frozen veg to ice down his bruised ribs afterwards. You can read all about his journey at Fighting Forty.
Armed with a hefty earful of encouragement, I took a huge leap and walked through the door. My very first kickboxing class was rough, to put it lightly, and resulted in quite an impressive souvenir:
“Police brutality at its best.” -JB Baker
I wore this bruise (and the fact that it was given to me at the hands -or legs- of a cop) as a badge and was a bit bummed to see it fade. In the meantime, I learned more technique in the intermediate class and started to slowly navigate the world of grips and arm bars in BJJ. It was overwhelming, but I’ve really enjoyed jumping right into the mix. Plus I get fun new toys!
My Twins! They’re real…and they’re spectacular.
Being sick for a few days has really given me some perspective on what an impact those first two weeks made. Being forced to sit still is always difficult, but my desire to get back out to class has been really overwhelming. Maybe this isn’t so crazy after all…
Nope. Still crazy. But I love it.
Weird on the Avenue 