myriad

So depressing. I'm getting all the negative and depressive vibes from my female owner! She came home from the first aikido class of the year, looking down and unfulfilled. She didn't even come to look for us, that's how bad she's feeling. It didn't help that it has been raining since she reached home.

Turned out that a myriad of emotions flooded her during class today.

i) Her youngest colleague came for class.
- happy to have introduced this sport to more people

ii) The senior belt whom she depended a lot on previously to guide her through new techniques has stopped coming for class due to some misunderstandings. She missed having him around.
- feeling of loss and helplessness

iii) Her aikido class has planned a "all the best" party for her. Today, she caught glimpses of her kakis trying to tie up loose ends as they finalise payment for a gift (It was supposed to be a surprise, but they were not discrete about it. In fact, two of them were happily having a conversation about it when she was right behind them!)
- very touched by their efforts

iv) She has only 3 more lessons before she's gone.
- upset at the reality of how little time she has left

v) Her instructor taught the senior belts how to "slam" for the first time (meaning, to be flipped into the air like roti prata by someone and land unscathed on the mat). The instructor "slammed" his students at least twice. He called up my female owner last, as he knew that she had fear of slamming. Being sensitive to her weakness, he told her that he would slam her only once and after slamming her, praised her for a technique well-executed.
- sense of longing to be able to learn more and gratitude towards her instuctor for his sensitivity and faith in her

vi) Being the first class of 2008 and having not been training since Christmas, she was simply delighted to be back with her kakis, catching up and laughing even during training.