National Preparedness Month and Aikido

This September is National Preparedness Month. And as I’m writing this, I ‘m heading to Texas to support the national response to Hurricane Harvey. This month focuses on planning for the small and the large disasters, with an overarching theme “Disasters Don’t Plan Ahead. You Can.”

In Budo (Martial Ways) our path is becoming more prepared in many ways- physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This preparedness can be personal and focus on our selves but it is perhaps as important to look at how our individual preparedness increases the overall resilience of our whole community.

We should all take action to prepare! We may be the first first-responders in our community if a disaster occurs. And, by training how to respond during an emergency and what to do when disaster strikes — where we live, work, and train –  we can model the Budo in our community, making it healthier, safer, and more resilient when disasters happen.