Being unemployed is rough. You have to drastically adjust your life to having little to no income until you can find work again. You have to make finding a job your new “job” until you’re employed again. The hardest part about being unemployed is not being able to enjoy your hobbies on a regular basis.
For those that don’t know, I’m a sword fighter. I learned longsword after joining a HEMA group back in Richmond, Va. I also do Kenjutsu, Japanese Katana, in the same way the samurai learned in feudal Japan. I was also learning Bojutsu, Japanese Staff fighting, on Sunday mornings. HEMA is free. Kenjutsu and Bojutsu are not. And now that I’ve moved over an hour away, it’s difficult to get back into town to take classes regularly. I used to go to HEMA once a week, Kenjutsu three times a week, and Bojutsu once a week. Now I’ll be lucky if I can even make it to Kenjutsu regularly. Plus, between gas and class cost, I can’t really afford it either. So, I had to take a hit and not go to class as often.
I miss my classes so much. I did have to go out for 12 weeks after I had surgery on my knee, but I moved shortly after my convalescence was done. And my car isn’t in great shape either, so that take a priority over sword lessons.
I do have a backyard I can practice in where I live now. I just need to find the energy to get up and ACTUALLY practice. I’ve noticed I’ve gone back to my “I do this really cool thing” but I don’t do the cool thing very well – because I don’t practice. When I was going to class three times a week, I didn’t feel like I needed to practice because class was my practice time. Now…well, discipline is not my strongest skill on my character sheet.
Now that I’m working part-time, I feel like I can find the time and energy to practice again. My work schedule is starting to even out to something I can predict now, and I do have time off during the week. So now I can dedicate practice time to swinging my swords and bo again.
Now, if I can get a consistent bedtime down, I think that will help with the energy.
Baby steps, right?
