As I started in January 2002, that makes six years of karate. I'm annually astonished by how long I've been doing it, by how much time has passed, and that karate of all things should be a constant when so much else has changed.
It's supposed to take seven years to reach black belt status, but I'm currently languishing three grades below at red. Let's see if I can make it to brown before this year is out.