Wisconsin Notes:
- Ben O’Meara. Forever remembered for his belly laugh and tight hugs. This isn’t a blog post to just glance at the Wisconsin notes and gloss over. Read this one.
- The NorthFace/NP shop and hangout night. RSVP via Facebook
- NP Summit June 9th – 11th in Boston. More details here
This weekend the tribe (no, not Montréal specifically, but rather, the global NP tribe) lost an amazing soul. This is Ben.
Ben was a core NP member who, before NP WOO was born, used to drive the hour and a half that it took to get to the Boston workouts at what we formally call “ass o’clock”. Not only was he an enormous supporter of the movement, but he also went out of his way to lift up every single human he met.
We were lucky enough to be some of these humans in December when Ben and his wife Jenn visited our (at the time pledge) tribe, shared a beer, gave us tips, brought us t-shirts as gifts even though they had never met us before, and supported us with bright smiles, through the cold, snowy workouts. We are so fortunate to have been able to share in the joy and love that radiated around these two. Look at those smiles!
Ben passed away on Sunday. In Ben’s memory, this morning we spoke of him, while wearing hockey jerseys and green garb, like he would have loved. We lowered our heads for a moment, but then we hugged. We hugged and we swore and we worked out.
The important thing to note is that most of the people at the workout didn’t know Ben and Jenn. In fact, this post isn’t really about Ben at all. It’s about the power of loving strong and hugging tight. If you look through any of the blog posts or photos of the 37 November Project tribes across the world, you’ll see the love that’s pouring in. Remember that your Wednesday morning family is here for you and you are a powerful part of that family, being there for others when they need it too. Maybe some weeks, like it was today, it’s well known what is weighing people down, but maybe it’s an unspoken hurdle that someone is going through and Wednesday mornings are their stable thing to look forward to. By being there to smile and hug and create this supportive community, you’re doing a damn good thing.
And of that, Ben would be proud. Hats off to you, friend.
