Aikido in My Daily Life – Leah’s Story

Today’s post comes from Leah Meeker who kindly agreed to share her story of how she got into Aikido and how the Art pertains to her daily life. Follow this inspirational young woman on twitter @aikigirl77

[Edit: Leah has since started a blog. Go check it out, It's Not a Metaphor]

In January of 2007 I walked for the first time into an aikido dojo, the second floor of an old gymnastics building in the downtown district of our medium-sized town. It was a freezing Iowa Saturday morning and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. A month earlier I had never even heard of Aikido, I didn’t even know how to pronounce the word. I had done very little research, just a quick Google search and a flip through the yellow pages to see if there was a school within driving distance. Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of things in Iowa, but we do have a few aikido dojos. At that point in my life I just needed some help. I needed help with my son. I would have tried anything. I would have stood on my head and yodelled the Styx greatest hits album if I thought it would help. That’s what parents do.

At 29 I already had 3 children, a girl and 2 boys. All three had been diagnosed with a form of autism. My youngest is a very mild case, my oldest, moderate, but my middle child, and eldest son, Aidan, is severe. Aidan has experienced just about every symptom a child with autism can experience. Caring for him has been almost impossible at times. My husband and I resolved to do whatever we could for Aidan and the other two, but our resources were depleted. There’s hardly an intervention that we haven’t tried. Out-of-state doctors, diets, nutritional and energy therapies, etc, etc. After years of trying, nothing was working…..and Aidan was getting bigger.

As his mother, I have been Aidan’s primary caregiver since he was born. At the time, he was a strong, hyperactive 8 year-old. Aidan’s hobbies included running away, climbing over fences, and sitting in the middle of the street. Having inherited my Irish grandmother’s petite frame, I was beginning to consistently lose the daily battle of Aidan vs. Mom. Aidan knew he could overpower me and I was scared. Scared of finding myself in a situation where I could not protect him from himself. I never had any interest in Martial Arts…ever. But, I have always been quite athletic, and can scale a backyard fence at an impressive rate, thanks to Aidan.

In December of 2006 I was a frequent visitor to what I lovingly refer to as the autism underground. A collection of internet forums for parents of kids afflicted with autism. There I learned about all the latest research and treatments as moms (and some dads) supported and guided each other through the murky waters of autism. It was there that I first read about aikido. I read about a mother and aikido practitioner who had been successfully using aikido techniques to help her son navigate through public places. Children with autism will often compulsively run off. Crowded or open spaces can be terrifying for the parent and child. I wondered if aikido could help me help my son. As it turned out, aikido helped me help myself.

I often say that I started aikido for Aidan but I stayed in aikido for me. On the mat I learned some techniques, I learned how to move from my center, how to breathe properly, how to remain present, etc, etc. But aikido taught me more than I was prepared to learn. I had spent my entire adult life dealing with autism. I researched fervently, cried frequently, and fought daily. I had lost myself in the fight. I was empty and numb. Aikido, to me, is not perfect. It is not a religion or a way of life. What aikido provided for me was a haven to rediscover myself. It was on the mat that I realized that I had stopped feeling, stopped breathing, essentially…. stopped living. In many ways, Aikido provided me with some tools to put my life back together. I gave myself permission to start living again. Today, I’m enjoying my life, my kids, my training, and the gifts each day brings. In a lot of ways I’m not a typical martial artist, if there is such a thing. I have an overactive, and often irreverent sense of humor. I’m still not a fan of the bokken, and I’m pretty sure I have the worst hakama tying skills in the state of Iowa. Still, I will always love and be indebted to the art and to those that have given of themselves to show me the way. Thank you.

Thank you Leah for sharing your story with us. It is incredibly inspiring.

Do you have any stories to share? What does Aikido mean to you? How do you use your Aikido training to help you in your daily life?

E-mail me, marc AT DailyAikido.com or use the contact form and I will publish it here on Daily Aikido.

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