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More Than a Gym: A Tribute
11 years ago
General
Today was the last day. The local YMCA in my hometown lies at the end of a 20 minute walk from my house. For nine years, I've made that walk religiously. In blazing heat and bitter cold, through wind and rain and blinding snow. I've watched the sun come up and go down and seen the stars dance with the moon along that walk, all to strive for the kind of beautiful body that every bodybuilder dreams of.
And today was the last day.
In two weeks, I move out. I start a new life in a new country with my beloved mate. So I knew this day was coming, but the reality of it - of no longer going to the same gym I always have - is every bit as emotional as the day you walked out of your high school for the last time, or the day you said goodbye to a beloved pet.
Here's why.
I don't lift weights as a hobby. This is not a pastime. I'm an amateur bodybuilder, a TRUE muscle fur, and so that means weight training is almost a religion for me. Bodybuilding is a 24-hour commitment. You have to pour all of your resources - your time, your attention, your discipline - into it or you'll never make substantial progress. You have to watch what you eat and when, and plan ahead for those days when life happens so that you still feed your muscles what they need to grow. You have to make sure you get enough sleep even more than the average person does. You have to sacrifice your favorite junk foods, and you even have to consider what impact your job might have on your training. The gym where you train lies at the heart of all of that planning.
So my gym has meant much more to me than just a place to work out. It's like a second home. It's a place where I've felt more alive, happier, angrier, more frustrated and more triumphant than anyplace else. I've poured nine years of sweat, pain, breath, music, hope, determination, and yes even tears into it. That gym was the place where I became a real man.
So yeah, I guess the big hoss is a tad emotional about having to say goodbye to it. It's one of those wonderful bittersweet moments of your life where, if it were a movie, you'd hear the main theme sweeping the audience up before moving on to the next scene.
Being a writer, sometimes you just...have to get feelings down on paper, so to speak.
And today was the last day.
In two weeks, I move out. I start a new life in a new country with my beloved mate. So I knew this day was coming, but the reality of it - of no longer going to the same gym I always have - is every bit as emotional as the day you walked out of your high school for the last time, or the day you said goodbye to a beloved pet.
Here's why.
I don't lift weights as a hobby. This is not a pastime. I'm an amateur bodybuilder, a TRUE muscle fur, and so that means weight training is almost a religion for me. Bodybuilding is a 24-hour commitment. You have to pour all of your resources - your time, your attention, your discipline - into it or you'll never make substantial progress. You have to watch what you eat and when, and plan ahead for those days when life happens so that you still feed your muscles what they need to grow. You have to make sure you get enough sleep even more than the average person does. You have to sacrifice your favorite junk foods, and you even have to consider what impact your job might have on your training. The gym where you train lies at the heart of all of that planning.
So my gym has meant much more to me than just a place to work out. It's like a second home. It's a place where I've felt more alive, happier, angrier, more frustrated and more triumphant than anyplace else. I've poured nine years of sweat, pain, breath, music, hope, determination, and yes even tears into it. That gym was the place where I became a real man.
So yeah, I guess the big hoss is a tad emotional about having to say goodbye to it. It's one of those wonderful bittersweet moments of your life where, if it were a movie, you'd hear the main theme sweeping the audience up before moving on to the next scene.
Being a writer, sometimes you just...have to get feelings down on paper, so to speak.
Like turning the page at the end of a chapter, a new one begins, with those first few words enticing and exciting you with the prospects of what's to come. I hope you've kept mementos from that place, so you can enjoy it when you find that new gym that you are sure to call your new home.
Safe trips, hon, and hope that everything works out for ya!
Here's to new adventures, new growth an new beginnings!
That was the FIRST gym I joined...ever.
That was were me and Max became workout partners...and best friends.
Were I met so many cool people.
Were I hit so many goals
So many stories, that I will share with you some day.