A few days before the ceremonial carving of the turkey, I sat in a taekwondo studio, watching my son train.
He has been in the martial arts program for over two years, and I’ve witnessed dozens of students break a board for the first time. It’s a genius marketing move on the part of the instructors: after only the second lesson, the new student (usually in lower elementary school) is summoned to the front of the class, and with the other students cheering, splits a slender piece of wood with a downward chop of the fist. The instructors hold the board in such a way that you really can’t miss it. After the board break, the instructor gets down on one knee and ties the white belt around the student’s waist. Then the student scampers happily back to the group. Every kid gets a thrill from the experience, but the basic routine is always the same.
Just before Thanksgiving, a boy came up to the front of the class. He was about seven years old. Of course, he broke the board, and everyone applauded. The instructor asked the child to hold out his arms so that the he could tie his belt. The boy did as he was instructed and spread his arms like a bird’s wings.
Then he flew in and hugged the instructor!
Poet Ross Gay defines gratitude as “our radiant need, our luminous and mycelial need.” The giving of thanks is our fervent and holy desire for contact and connection. This child desired human contact, not material awards. He celebrated by reaching for a relationship. Kids are the best poets and preachers.
This veteran taekwondo instructor must have participated in hundreds, if not thousands, of these board breaks over the years. From where I sat, I could see his face as the child embraced him. His wide-eyed surprise quickly turned to wonder, and when he hugged back, his face broke into a smile.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman is the author of “Little Big Moments,” a collection of mini-essays about parenting, and “Tigers, Mice & Strawberries: Poems.” Both titles are available most anywhere books are sold online. Taylor-Troutman lives in Chapel Hill where he serves as pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church and occasionally stumbles upon the wondrous while in search of his next cup of coffee.
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