I was gathering my thoughts. It felt like the whole world was waiting for me out there. I was performing for my black belt. It was win or lose. I went out. It felt like time had stopped. My song (Godzilla) comes on. Everybody was cheering. I started. My moves went in perfect sync. I went, “Suhhh, Suhhh, Ayah!!!” Kicking and punching I was, doing all these different moves. The crowd was cheering, “Jason, Jason, Jason!!” There was no such thing as failure. I was on the road to success. The place was going crazy. My music was playing loud. I finished my last move. Sweat was pouring down my face like buckets. The announcer congratulated me. I could hear the crowd going crazy like a pack of hyenas.
I walked back into the waiting room to watch others perform. I was so anxious to get my black belt. There were a lot of congrats and pats on the back when I went in there. I knew I had finished what I started. I passed my black belt test. I was so happy at that moment. No one could bring me down. I could see everyone smiling and having fun. I walked out to get my black belt. Tons of people got their black belt that day, but it felt like I was the only one that counted. I put on my new belt. I felt the crispness of my new black belt. I felt so proud of myself. Winning the lottery, that’s what it felt like. It felt like everyone was cheering for me and me only. It was a fight, but I won by knockout. It felt great.
I went home and had a party for me. I just felt like I had climbed a mountain that day. I got a lot of gifts, got a lot of thanks, congrats and whatnot. It just felt good. My grandparents came. I was finished. I had accomplished my ultimate goal of being a black belt. I thought of all the preparation I had done to get up to this point. I couldn’t fall asleep because I was so excited.
After that I always walked with a little more pride in my step. I had accomplished something huge and I knew it. It was something bigger than I could ever imagine. I had done it. I will always remember that day with happiness. I await the day when I can get a solid black belt. That will be the day. It will be something when I accomplish something more than karate. I will always remember that day with happiness. I thought “I can get used to this.” I love karate.
This moment shows a lot about me. I like being a black belt. It gives me confidence. I have a lot of friends at karate. I learned that I can push myself more than I thought I could. I now believe in myself and respect my elders.