The other day I decided I really need to clean my gi bag since it holds all my sweaty clothes. In addition to my “regular items” the following things really had me thinking on why the hell I would have these in my gi bag. In it I found: a baby tooth, 5 pieces of gum wrappers clipped together with a paper clip, old VFC ticket stubs, a note to myself to remember to clean out my bag, the remnants of a flower that once was a pretty color, two rocks that had neat fossils, salt and pepper packets, a finial to a lamp, a nut and bolt, a pencil eraser, and a now smashed bag of Funyuns to carry out a challenge issued by a fellow jiu-jitsu guy of who can be the best at Barrel of Monkeys.
Secondly I am a mother, so of course with me I now have pen and paper for the bored kid, extra chapstick because the kid always loses mine, change for a dollar, snacks, a change of clothes for BOTH of us, more gum and mints for the kid, panty liners because sometimes after giving birth, those sneezes!, a box of bitch stickers (aka Band-Aids), hand sanitizer, lotion, and a good place to hide the sharpie marker from the kid.
Thirdly I practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu so of course I have pen and paper for writing in my jiu-jitsu journal because I cannot remember the technique that I was just taught without writing it down; chapstick because my lips get dry, change for a dollar to get an extra bottle of water that my kid just drank, snacks for after rolling and change of clothes so I don’t have to sit in a sweaty mess on the hour drive home that I have, my gi, and my belt (unless I forgot it), gum and or mints for my training partners comfort, and of course panty liners.
Lastly because I am a woman over the age of 40 who does BJJ in addition to all the above mentioned items, I also have not one but THREE different ankle wraps all with varying support, an elbow brace, a knee brace; ibuprofen and Aleeve, pre-wrap, tape, more tape in different widths, two different brands of roll on topical pain relievers, and have I mentioned panty liners?
The one and only thing that I needed the other day that I DID not have was fingernail clippers. Maybe I should check my purse…..then again maybe not; it might be easier to spend the 98 cents to get another set!
Kim Morris is a blue belt with Combative Sport Center in Manhattan, Kan., under Joe Wilk. She has been practicing jiu jitsu since November of 2013. She is a wife of 21 years and a mom of two boys, ages 19 and 10.
I need my gi bag I have $41, my belt, my gi, rashguard, asthma inhaler, mouthguard, two half full water bottles, sports bag receipt, 10 hair ties, a comb and some deodorant.