6 Years of Gratitude

Thursday May 8th, 2014 marks the 6th anniversary of the day that a dozen brave souls showed up in our backyard at 4:45am, under a halogen lamp attached to a basketball backboard, and completed the first ever training session at “Get Fit NH”.

On that crisp May day we didn’t have a lot of “tools”. No SkiErgs or TRX or even Kettlebells. A few bands and dumbbells that went up to 10 pounds.

But more important than what we didn’t have was what we did have.

The determination that by showing up and working hard we would get better. We could get stronger, and leaner. We could learn about our bodies, and how to better feed them and take care of them. We could laugh together, and cry together, and love together.

We could be family in the best sense of the word. Banding together, encouraging one another and helping one another. Realizing than all of us are better than just one of us.

And that is no different than today. Get Fit NH is not a physical location (or two) and training equipment. It is and always has been about one thing.

People.

When Nancy and I started Get Fit NH Amy had just turned 1 year old. She is now older than Andrew was at the time. Pretty soon I am going to have to figure out how to keep her and Karalynn locked up and away from the boys. I watched Andrew in a race last week and wondered when he had grown 3 foot legs. Time flies by so fast, even faster than he ran that race. I am so grateful to our Epsom clients who have adopted my kids and made them part of the crew. When I consider how many hours Karl has spent in my backyard playing ball with Drew after training it boggles the mind. Brian was out playing hoops with them the other day. A common refrain to the kids when I walk through the door is “Where did you get that?”, only to find that Donna, or Doreen or Tom had left something for them.

I am grateful that Anne in Concord persistently and consistently encouraged me to break out of my comfort zone and find training space in Concord. Persistence paid off for us both, and she continues to encourage me not only with her kindness, but her amazing work ethic in the gym. Because of her I get to spend time with so many amazing people I would have never met otherwise. How cool is that?

When I consider how blessed we are to have such an amazing team in Concord – Erin, and Meagan and Sarah –  that I can be confident are taking care of y’all when I am gone I am once again just so grateful. Tiffany in the office has done an incredible job since she joined us.

And I don’t have to tell you that Nancy is the glue that makes the whole think stick together. Big surprise that living with me isn’t all sunshine and rainbows and unicorns, but she sticks by me anyway. All that you see is because God graced me with the best.

Regrets over the past 6 years?

Someone said we shouldn’t live with regrets, but there are times I look back at some that have left us and wonder what we could have done better to help them break through. I also regret that the world hasn’t invented teleporters yet, because when people like Steve and Diane move to Ohio we don’t get to see them train anymore! 🙂

And honestly I do regret that I haven’t stopped to smell the roses more, and expressed my gratitude to you more often.

Just know because of you I know dreams come true.

Thank-you.

Dean