42 - breathe in, breathe out

I was gonna write about something else, but this is what kept me from it. Showing on TV, my old friend Miyagi...

Here you find the last scene from the 80s hit 'Karate Kid',

The first time that I watched it was on VHS. I don't remember exactly how it arrived to my grandma's home but I am sure it was my uncle who ordered it for us. With 'us', I mean me my sis and my cousins. We were four little kids, watching it. Actually I still remember the excitement that passed to me from the cover of the video cassette. The weather was warm like today in here. I don't know why, even the smell was similar. Maybe it's just a distortion of memories caused by the scent of the sunscreen that I once brought from home and came handy today. No matter what, the ambiance was a lot like years ago, back in Izmir -my hometown.

You most probably know the plot. It's been watched by millions over and over again throughout the years. There it is, the little kid who learned a lot from the Japanese guy in the block. Miyagi told Daniel to 'Breathe in, breathe out... Right circle, left circle. Right circle, left circle... breathe in, breathe out'. Then in the warm breeze passing through the transparent curtains, leaving a moment's freshness in the living room, continues to its path to the balcony in front of the house.

By that time, I never wondered at that time, if there really was a 'crane kick' which can help you when everything is on stake. Miyagi's student, Daniel had one. Just like a magical movement, combining differences in itself like being the extraordinary yet the traditional, saving the day. Then it comes to what Miyagi told his pupil; 'You trust the quality of what you know, not the quantity.' And the quotation strikes as a kick from nowhere in the very direst moment. Miami is only to nod his head at that point.

Years passed since I first experienced 'Karate Kid'. For a long time, I remember trying to replicate his 'crane kick'. Of course never could. But I am quite sure that it inspired me getting one thing right; when it comes to you, you are the one to know what to do...

Actually, I now realize that the influence of the movie was way too underrated, in Miyagi's words...

"Lesson not just karate only.

Lesson for whole life."