Hole-in-the-Wall.

Driving around the City has been quite an experience, keeping an eye open without actually keeping an eye open, I have found a number of hole-in-the-wall Dojo that are not advertised in either the phone book or any of the Newspapers.
I'm amazed at just how many there are, further, I am amazed at how many more there may be, without actually hearing of them, without the advertising, they have managed to keep to their present locations for years and keep their income steady.

In any case, these places are often not a part of any major organization, they mainly keep to themselves, remain off the radar, yet manage to keep the students rolling in for scheduled classes.
They are completely self-sufficient, and self-governing, such simplicity comes with a hands off approach, though one cannot rule out other avenues. Even still, I remain amazed, especially when I see big chains closing down, replaced with Head Shops and MMA Gyms, which is alright, they both stand worlds apart from where my state of mind now resides.

The point being simplicity, breaking the mold, daring to challenge the status quo, perhaps not so much a challenge, but a willingness to actually put things into practice that you hold dear, instead of talking about them during lunchtime conversation, or the usual barroom philosophy as you down a couple cold ones after a long day at the office.
The idea is to stand worlds apart from that existence, or making use of such existence so that you can do what you actually want to do and live your life the way you want to live it.

If nothing ever comes of the time and effort you put into the floor, then why put in the time and effort in the first place?
Certainly you may do it because you love it, because it fills a time-gap in your daily routine, that is well and fine. You may also do it because it gives you some sense of security, whether it is false or otherwise, that is fine too.
In either case, what use is it if you never truly think about it? There may be different reasons for everyone, but in the end, if we don't know what those reasons are, it is utterly useless to keep on trudging.
Maybe for the simple fact of trudging along? Those hole-in-the-wall places stand out to me, not for their odd locations and their lack of advertising, but as beacons that they are unique, they stand apart from the big guys, and they are free of the same constraints as well.
Can we say the same about ourselves?