No germs allowed...

The goal is to test for my Blue Belt before the end of June.

This is a very short time table to complete all the mandatory requirements AND get good enough at everything to pass.

It should all fit within the next few months, but there isn't a lot of wiggle room.

My wife, Helen, is home sick today with a nasty virus. I don't like getting sick and missing work. Sickness can also interfere with other activities as well.

Usually this is no big deal really. In my training this year, it is. Miss a class and it could screw up the entire plan. You may think, so what? Miss a class and test one class later.

Miss one of the Saturday classes, and it takes an extra week to make it up.

Miss an evening class, and it punches a hole in one's training record that won't normally get filled for almost three months.

I really want to stay healthy for the next four months. I can't afford an injury, either.

It is possible to fix training gaps with private lessons, but they aren't cheap, are only available once a week, and there must be somebody willing to teach. Right now the usual private lesson guy is in Australia.

So, how likely am I to get sick? Well, I'm a school teacher. That means I work in a packed environment full of germ carriers. My wife is also, so I get chance to catch any plagues that somehow miss my school but tear through hers. Teachers are the people most likely to be made sick by their work outside of hospital workers.

So, how likely am I to get injured?

I'm an old man, in terms of combative sports. Not really old enough to snap easily, but certainly slow healing. Since training in Jiu-Jitsu I've suffered sore necks, stiff backs, pulled groins, and numerous banged, sprained, and broken toes. None of these injuries has cost me any training, but some got close.

If I make my end-of-June testing goal I can relax. I can relax even if I don't reach my goal. In the summer and fall the occasional missed class due to illness, injury, or social engagement will be fine.

A missed class will just be a missed class.