November Project has been around for a long time now–more than 7 years– and it’s seen thousands and thousands of people show up, stay for a while, sometimes leave, sometimes come back, and some stick around the whole darn time.
This morning at 6:30, we had a handful of “OGs,” we like to call them, show up and see each other and all be like “woahhhh!! you’re here! I’m here! Remember when…?” They’re faces that are throw backs to group photos of like 23 people because even on a warm, pleasant day, that was the entire group. They’re the kinds of faces that you recognize from the now “old-school” cover of Runner’s World magazine, that you hear stories about from others of us who’ve been around across a long span of time. Some come a little more frequently, some now every once in a while. But despite how often we see their faces, they’re the people who no matter what show up with everything they’ve got, because they’ve still got it.
Don’t get me wrong–I don’t mean they never age, or that their fitness never changes. That’s both unrealistic and absurd. Just like everyone, they’re pretty freaking human. Everyone gets a little older and life absolutely changes in ups and downs for everyone. But they still got IT. IT is simply a full-bodied, wholehearted showing up for everything they can get from the workout and the community. Which, if you really think about it, is something that you can do every single week, if you happen to be one of the lucky ones whose life and schedule and current chemistry of motivation, accountability, and fitness fun includes NP every single week. It probably won’t forever, which makes sense, and we don’t even expect it. We’ve seen coming & going happen in natural cycles for all 7+ years of this thing.
But all those who came before you? They got it–they received the intangible, kinda indescribable thing that NP gives– in the first place, and if & when they get to show up again once or even for a bunch of workouts, they bring IT back with them. They still got it. The unique energy, fire, drive, and presence that they offer to the tribe, to make it, and each of us, better.
This also means that YOU got it. You have it now, while you’re in the current wave of NP and all it offers. And you’ll still have it in the future, when you show up after a while and you’re an OG, an “old-school” NP’er, a throwback face, and a valuable & essential part of the bigger NP experience and movement over time. Once you got it, you have it. And you still got it tomorrow, next week, next year, and forever. It’s actually the magic of NP. It is home, it’s family, it’s always there, you can always come back, show up, throw down (even throw up if you work hard enough), do a full tour, see familiar faces, and meet new ones. You’ll ALWAYS see someone you know–who’s glad you’re here. And you’ll also always meet someone new–who’s also glad you’re here. Just keep showing up…the door’s always open.
Full circle, baby. Full tour, full circle, full heart, full tribe.
announcements
BUFFS are here. We’re handing out the buffs that YOU ALREADY ORDERED AND PAID FOR. So if you still don’t have your buffs, please show up to a workout to get them. We will only hold on to them and save them for you (and schlep them to and from workouts for you) for a relatively short period of time. You can even send someone who wants to go workout to show up for you and collect yours. But better yet, come get your own buffs and get a workout while you’re at it! See you soon.
Next Monday: The #DestinationDeck workout will be in Somerville on the “off-ramp to nowhere,” which is the coolest workout location, probably of all time. It’s a “make your verbals and bring your friends” kind of spot. 6:29am. Monday 3/4. See you RIGHT HERE.
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