It is summer, I am on vacation, in my most favourite place. I usually wake up whenever I want, walk downstairs and pour a dollop (ok a generous dollop) of Bailies Irish Cream into a coffee cup and go and sit and look at the water for a half hour before my 17 babies wake up.
Pure Fucking Bliss.
But, and there is always a but, I found myself waking up at 4:56 with my pre programmed Wednesday morning alarm to haul myself downstairs, grab my coffee in a travel mug (no Bailies) and heading for the door.
About 10 minutes away from my house, where my wife, and kids and everyone else is still sleeping. I yawn and say out loud to myself “why the fuck am I awake?”. No one in Kelowna knows that I am driving an hour and 20 mins to do a workout with a bunch of people that I have never met led by two people that I have only met 2 or 3 times in my life. Again “why?”
This is about to get chronological so if you need the Wisconsin notes skip to the end from here.
This all started with me saying “yes” to one random guy (Graham aka G1) that I started running with two years ago. I said “yes” to working with him and starting my own franchise of a health and wellness company (if you need vitamins etc hit me up). Then we started working out. Then we started working out more, with other people. Then Angel from LAX (whose sister, Karra lives here and is part of our tribe) told Graham that NP was accepting pledges again. And I said “yes” again to trying to start this thing here in Vancouver.
We hooked up with one of the best hype men I have ever met: Chad. And we blew up! I was new to this thing called “social media” and its #virtualvibes, but Chad and G1 are so so so connected to the communities that they operate in as well as the scene here in Vancouver. My job? Help design and describe/explain what the workout is that is going down for the day. Use all my teacher skills to get 156 people moving in an orderly fashion through a 30 minute workout that can be explained in a minute.
Long story short, we got kicked out of our first, and second locations. Found a home in the middle of a park that the City still does not know we are hosting workouts in (ssssssshhhhhhh).
But from then this has evolved from a workout thing to a community to a family.
The tribe was there for me when I lost my job and the only anchor that I had every week was a group that met in the middle of winter, something to go to something to focus on, a life raft in the middle of an ocean of SUCK.
They were there when Mel organized a flash mob to surprise me when she co-led a workout when G1 was away.
They were there for me when I had twins. In a big way. They raised money, baked me food, donated storage containers for the food. And filled my freezer along with some other stuff that we pre-made.
They encourage me to show up in other areas of my life and to chase the #gohardidiotgene.
It is hard to really put the emotional feelings into words that come from not only that but the relationships that we as leaders get to build. Even if I forget names. Yes, I still forget names. Sorry Eric. Seriously. Sorry. But the rewards that fill that bucket of amazing come every week and missing a week sucks, the biggest a suck can.
So I roll into Kelowna, an hour later. And remember immediately why I woke up. “No way!” from the mouth of the great Roz Huber , and yes she needs her whole name. I get a hips in hug, knees to shoulders touching. We have only met 5 times and spent a total of less than a day together, but we are old friends already. It didn’t stop there either it kept going re-meeting the #traverbal crew from NP Edmonton and the rest of the 40 people that showed up to rock the sick workout that Roz and Steve had planned.
So why am I awake?
Because you are awesome.
Wisconsin notes:
Why am I awake?
You all fill my awesome bucket every week.
We are family.
Rich
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