Learning to Write

So I was talking to my wife about the article I read and mentioned in my previous post. The one about the imperceptible growth we experience over time as we train. We were talking about how while I'm learning some techniques, it will be quite a while before I have those techniques at my beck and call...available to me at a moment's notice should I need them. She was saying it's like learning to write (she's a teacher):

When we're kids, we may practice our handwriting awkwardly, slowly. "Hmmm. An 'F'...I don't use that letter much...how do I write it again?" Compare that to now - I can scribble down an entire sentence with nary a thought. I don't have to THINK about forming the letters. They're ingrained and subservient to my every whim. Tools I can call on and effectively use in an instant. One day my Judo and Aikido will be like that. But for now...it's like C.S. Lewis said: "As long as you're counting the steps, you're not dancing; you're only learning to dance"

And after all these years of writing, you know what? Writing the letter "Q" still trips me up. I have to stop and very intentionally form the letter, whether I'm printing or writing in cursive. I suspect my martial arts will be that way too. I'll always be learning.