Maybe I'm actually using it properly now.
Honestly, pre-23 I had a good hold on the thing but I didn't have a clue of what to do with it. Maybe I'm supposed to use it to impale those who venture too close. Maybe it's meant to open locks, slice ties. Could I use it like a shovel? Maybe it's supposed to be a glorified kitchen knife. I can't use it properly, no matter how hard He tries to show me: this thrust disarms this pass. This cut negates this swipe. I just didn't get it.
23 came. And for the first time in amidst the wild swinging and tired arms, I hit right. I blocked a tricky pass. It wasn't an accident, either. I used this deadly tool correctly. I can't begin to tell you what that feels like.
Oh, I'm no proficient yet. But I'm learning.
All these years I thought I was a warrior princess.
But really, I was only in training to be a queen.
Don't for a minute think I'm there yet. I'm on this journey just like you are. There are still days when the Master Swordsman, teaching me patiently still after all these years, allows a pass or a thrust that throws the sword from my hand and sends it clattering on the pavement.
But someday I'll have learned to block every pass. And someday you'll learn your art, too.
Remember you're in training.
The best? You'll get a taste of ultimate glory here. But the rest is still to come.
