At the end of last summer, I nervously crept into a class at my new gym. It was called "BODYPUMP." For real? I thought. I'm going to do something called BODYPUMP? I felt lumpy and weak and intimidated as I looked around the mirrored room at the people with their gear heaped around them. But then one of the other exercisers set up a station for me and a smiling woman leading the class welcomed me. A sweaty, exhausting hour later, I had survived. And then I went back. And I went back again. And again. It turns out that I had lucked into finding not simply a class but a diverse community of kind people led by a brilliantly enthusiastic, quirky, and optimistic fitness professional named Cindy. The music was terrible (it's not her fault), but with her customary good spirit, she chatted us through the misery and exertion. I have learned so much from her about my body, about positivity, and about teaching. She's responsible for a lot of my improved strength and confidence.
By December, I was feeling pretty good, but I had a setback. My nephew gave me a particularly strong hug, which upset my back. Desperate to address the pain before getting on a plane to Australia in early January, I made an appointment with a random physical therapist nearby in hopes that he would tape me up and send me on way. I had no idea what taping meant or entailed, but a friend had suggested that approach to me, and it sounded harmless enough. And that's how I met Alec, who proceeded to heroically help me feel better despite my concern that he was going to paralyze me with some back cracking voodoo. I'm pretty sure he unhugged me by prying my ribs away from my spine. After two healing sessions with him, I headed to Sydney with comparatively minor pain. When I came back, he helped my back some more, and when I mentioned to him that my knees tended to hurt after a long walk, he had some ideas for how to address that, too. Over the past several months, with tremendous patience, professionalism, and a bewildering tolerance for my whining, eccentricities, and bad jokes, he has guided my preparations. With his help, I have targeted weaknesses and pushed my body to get ready, and I feel so much better than I would have if I had tried to train on my own.
Cindy and Alec have been amazing cheerleaders, as has my friend Lynne M., who did her own Camino a couple of years ago. She has walked miles and miles with me this year. We've revisited old favorite places and discovered new parts of D.C. I didn't know her well before this year, but doing long training walks brought us closer. It has been a delight to spend time together. Her companionship reminds me of the great pilgrims I have met in the past and helps me anticipate the excellent people I am about to encounter.
Finally, I am so grateful to the many loved ones who live healthy lives and have encouraged me to take care of myself, particularly Bridget, Nathan, Beth, and Rebecca. Their examples and their daily encouragement have kept me focused and dedicated. What a lucky person I am to have such support.
