Just about two years ago I attended my very first 5:30 AM stadium work out with November project. It was NOT a backpack day, thank goodness. I had been coming to NP for almost a year and had only ever shown up for the 6:30 group. I didn’t want to go to the 5:30 work out. It was reallllly early (too early!) and dark (how do you NOT fall down the stairs???) But when BG and Bojan sent me a little message on Facebook, asking me to show up that day for some super early morning stairs and a quick chat with them before the 6:30 group started, I #JustShowedUp.
What started that day was the beginning of an evolution of November Project. BG and Bojan’s transition from Boston tribe leaders to Worldwide Movement leaders (#worldtakeover), and my transition, along with Deniz Karakoyunlu and Evan Dana, from tribe members to coleaders of this mothership. The three of us spent an amazing year leading the Boston tribe together–giving of ourselves, our time, our creativity, hard work, and love. It was the hardest year of my life and also absolutely the most rewarding.
This morning, and every Wednesday morning since my first one, I showed up for the 5:30 workout. Today was #BackbackDay and most everyone had some kind of extra weight on their bodies–backpacks filled with everything from crumpled newspaper to sleeping bags to water to chunks of concrete found underneath the stadium. I worked my ass off with my backpack, grateful for the extra challenge and the opportunity to experience the stadium differently. Just a little more slowly and more thoughtfully so as not to change my technique or compensate in weird ways for the extra weight. Then during the 6:30 workout I had an opportunity to run a few sections in the stadium with Evan Dana. Evan showed up ready to give not 100% but approximately 10,000% because he’s a dude who goes hard. He expects the best and always challenges himself to find more within himself. And he does it with a giant smile on his face and joy in his heart because he loves this shit! He brought a giant pack filled with water. A heavy pack, probably 72% of his body weight. And he fucking trucked through that stadium, fighting for every stair.
With a giant grin, he offered to let me try out his pack. I’ll be honest, after my full tour + backpack at 5:30, I said no.
And then I watched him continue to carry that heavy load–up and down, with a smile on his face. I thought about what it might be like. His pack was definitely heavier than mine was, but what did it feel like to hold it, to strap it on my back, and climb the stairs with it? With a spark of determination, I asked for the pack and rather than just watching me–Evan put on my pack and I put on his. We climbed the stairs. All I could think was how profoundly different the experience is with someone else’s pack. It was hard–an awesome challenge for me–and one that I was happy to give back after two sections. And when I took it off, returning my own pack to my back, I felt a lightness and ease that I hadn’t felt for the entire full tour earlier that morning. With a little perspective, the weight of my own pack suddenly felt light.
Think about the “backpacks” that everyone carries around with them every day–inside workouts and outside of them too. Some of us have giant, heavy, hard-to-carry shit going on. Some of us have smaller, lighter, easier-to-carry life stuff. But imagine if we could take that shit of life and just take it off like a backpack sometime. Take it off to rest, or even to allow ourselves to try on someone else’s. I wonder what it would feel like to hold some people’s heavier packs, or others’ lighter ones. (Especially the cute fuzzy kid’s backpack shaped like a kitten.) I also think that Evan gave me something important today. Not only a few minutes with a friend who I respect and love–but a reminder that we’ve all got stuff we carry. Pay attention to the load in your own, sometimes it’s too much and you need to take something out. Sometimes it’s got space and you’re ready to add something new. And importantly, pay attention to the weight in others’ packs. Our respect, kindness, and ability to cheer them on only grows when we do.
I love this tribe. I’m glad you’re all here.
We’ll be on the hills Friday AM. Without Backpacks…FUCK YEAH. We’ll see you there!
You never know what’s in someone else’s bag.
Emily, this is the best NP blog post I have ever read. It’s beautifully written, and captures so much about the NP experience. Every week, its so inspiring to see the variety and huge numbers who show up at Stadium; From the Evan Dana badass/elite athletes, to full term expectant mothers, to newbies and those who are starting a fitness routine for the first time. It’s the best part of my week, and I love it. Fuck Yea.
-Steve L