I have been so fortunate in my life to be surrounded by
excellent teachers. It started at birth when I was lucky enough to be the
daughter of John and Colleen. My father - gentle, loving, quiet, and strong - and
my mother - creative, fiercely intuitive, loving, and kind - took great care to
nurture my strengths and steer me away from my less positive leanings. I definitely scored in the parents
department. They were older parents and I think that was part of their success. My father was very connected to his physicality and I used to love watching him do pull-ups in the back yard, build things, and go for good long walks. My mom was graceful and loved dancing...she was also so very artistic
Several teachers from childhood and adolescence stand out in
my mind…Mrs. Hill who taught me to write cursive with a light grasp…Miss Harris
who taught me to play guitar during lunch hour and after school…Mrs. Bellagamba
who was a little Susan Sarandon-ish…Mr. Kimmel who was always a little toasted,
but such a great, kind man…Mr. Stevenson who expected actual independent thinking
from his students…Mrs. Riggs whose exacting standards and amused friendship
have stayed with me throughout my life…I am so fortunate.
But there have been some other really important teachers in
my life who have believed in my physicality and brought out aspects of my
nature that were less emphasized in my youth. When I went to school P.E. was a
full-time requirement, not an option. Everyone played hard at recess – in elementary
school we climbed the flagpole and swung on the bars – in dresses with shorts
underneath. We rode our bikes after school and on the weekends – going as far
as we could while allowing for arriving home in time for dinner. We played
kick-the-can and hide-and-seek in the neighborhood until late each summer evening.
It was a physical childhood replete with skinned knees, pole burns, and skid
rashes from sliding down hills on cardboard. I loved it. In high school there
was track, tennis, swimming, volleyball…so many rotations throughout the
years. And because it was required we
gained skills in multiple areas. We learned to work in teams and we were
generally healthy kids.
When I was 17 I asked my parents for a gym membership
because I was suddenly having trouble with my weight. My mom identified an
appropriate gym (read: very few guys, medical personnel on staff, close to
home) and gave me a membership. The woman who taught the aerobics class was
fantastic. She was the older sister of a girl I knew at school and she was not
what I thought an aerobics instructor was supposed to look like. She had large
hips and thighs…weren’t all fit people supposed to be thin? Well, she kicked my
butt in every class. EVERY time. She was so aerobically fit, positive, and
energetic that she whipped me into fantastic shape and then, after training me,
handed me her job when she left to get married and move. So began my love
affair with teaching exercise classes.
Here is where I confess a deep regret: I love teaching
exercise classes. But in my family you could do that if you also pursued
intellectual or professional business goals. College was required for me and I
am glad, but I think I could have gotten my degree and pursued a career in the
fitness industry quite happily. I don’t know that my mom would have been happy
with that. She loved that I went into advertising and then recruiting, but
neither of those has ever made me as happy as seeing the face of a student who
finally achieves that stretch or completes the whole class or comes in to share
a special success in weight loss or fitness or increased health. I love helping
people find their best selves. I have missed teaching classes every day for the
past 6 years when I left teaching Pilates to care for my parents. I have also
had a really tough time getting back into a fitness routine. So today when I went to yoga I was reminiscing about my great exercise teachers…Cathy who got me into aerobics and gave me my first teaching assignment…Blanche who told me I ‘sizzled sensuality’ when I danced in her class…Nicole who helped me re-believe in myself enough to become a respected Pilates instructor…and finally, Jennifer at Square One Yoga who welcomed me back with open arms saying, “The Mat does not discriminate.” She also makes me want to love downward dog and learn to do an inversion by slowly stacking my muscles instead of flinging myself against the wall. Every one of these women is remarkably skilled and inspiring every day of her life. Cathy moved away to raise a beautiful family…Blanche, who fulfilled her own dream of becoming a dancer at the age of 35, is a magnificent example of following your own drummer…Nicole brought me out of my funk with her lively spirit and has proceeded to grow one of the most beautiful families I have ever seen…Jennifer, whose spirit is so lovely and her joy in dance and movement infectious has sparked my journey in yoga. I am so lucky these women have influenced my life.
It would not be right to neglect mentioning my men, all of whom I love with all my heart. Everett, my husband, is dedicated to running. He does it for fitness, he does it for competition, but mostly he does it to clear his head and he does it daily. My son, Collier, is inspiring in his endeavor to sample as many types of exercise as he can – fencing, zumba, rock climbing, running, kick boxing – he’s found his inner fitness voice and it is a wild thing. And to my littlest fitness pal, MinBo, who is up for a jaunt through the neighborhood if I even glance at his leash – we should all be like you, Little Dude.
Lastly, I will share a little story. On April Fool’s Day I
posted that I was so inspired by my family that I was going to train for a half
marathon. This post took on a life of its own and now, even though it was a
monumental joke at the time, I feel just a little guilty. So many wonderful
friends rallied around with support and advice. I did subsequently purchase some decent running shoes…we’ll see what
happens.
Oh, and on the weight loss front, I backslid a few pounds,
but I am back on track.
