I’m about to pass a man on the sidewalk. Eight feet away. That’s when he pulled the gun on me.

In Aikido as in Zazen, could the means also be the end? In other words, "I practice Aikido because I practice Aikido."

"There is a concept called 言霊 (kotodama), which loosely translates to word spirit—the Japanese belief in the mystical power of words."

I can’t remember the last time I really cried in front of someone. On my own? Oh, I have cried. Enough to fill an ocean, I think. But...