A few years back, I reconnected with an old high school friend on Facebook.
That would be nice enough, but…not REALLY enough. What helped us connect on a deeper level and spend some quality time together? You know where I am going with this.
Here’s how I see it…
Past friends from our old school days probably knew us at our original, most authentic time of our lives. In the grand scheme of life, however, looking at the bigger picture of our entire life, we knew some of them for a relatively short period when you really consider it.
My friend Karen and I knew each other for a mere 3 years. Looking back, that is amazing to me. These days, that’s a blink of an eye! Now, back in those fleeting times, it seemed SO much longer and we really made the most of it! We were on Drill Team together…OH, the memories! Additionally, as I mentioned, we were REALLY ourselves in the truest form…simply doing things that made us happy, that brought us joy…we were carefree, before our grown-up life happened and we forgot how to blend fun and living into a seamless existence. We did it SO well when we were younger and it proved to really make for some wonderful, lasting memories with dear friends.
After I graduated, I went on about my life, and like so many, just recalled the fun times in my head, never seeing the majority of those high school chums again. If we are fortunate, we do see a few old friends over the years, and get together at special events, if we happen to live near some of them. For a lot of us, too, thanks to Facebook, we do find each other again and begin to catch up with online posts, messages, emails and even phone calls.
I have the extra benefit of sometime introducing old friends to hooping. They see what I am doing online, perhaps…and are really interested, asking questions and are very curious. This is what happened with Karen. She happened to be traveling back home to Dallas a couple of weeks ago. Even with the passing of a family member, attending his memorial service and other obligations on her plate, she worked in a trip to Arlington for a short meeting with me. A quick hoop lesson and new hoop later, she’s on her way, excited to have this new form of movement that she can add into her life.
It’s like 36 years and the 1,074 miles between us don’t even matter nor exist…because the hoop is now this bonding connection, even at OUR AGE! The hoop has no age limit and actually makes us feel young AGAIN. Perhaps that was part of the reason it felt so wonderful to be sharing with her. We’re how old? Who cares? Let’s have fun and see what happens!
This is not a first for me, since I have had the pleasure of teaching several of my old pals (what a gift & treasure it truly is)…but THIS time, something else happened – an update to this story…and not just to sing the praises of friendship rekindled, but to inspire other new students who are just starting their own hoop journey.
Surprisingly, I received this email from Karen a few days after she returned back home…
Subject: Yo – 78 rotations without a drop
“Ok. I know it’s not *Geri Style* but 78 rotations without a drop was pretty good for me! I have the perfect spot on the pool deck — looks into our bedroom window which reflects — so I see posture, etc. I also can put my tablet there and watch the videos and do as I’m watching. I’m only on the 2nd video — going to stay there for a while.”
I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. Take away that this is exciting because it’s from an old friend…it’s simply a wonderful testimonial on how to practice your hoopdance. I want you to know that Karen left the lesson struggling with waist hooping, yet able to execute a couple of basic “off body” hand/arm moves. I sent her on her way to PRACTICE at home (like I always tell every student to do)…and now, she’s figured out that counting the rotations can be motivating and will help measure her progress. She is USING my private hoop training videos EXACTLY as I designed them to be used…IN ORDER. These videos are a perk for my hoop clients and meant to be used as a tool to practice at home. Karen is also watching her reflection in a window as if it were a mirror, which helps correct posture, thus helping her success. She’s building muscle memory, endurance, strength and confidence. She lives FAR AWAY from me, yet I am helping her…she took a piece of me back home with her. This makes my heart sing!
This is how you get better with hooping: PRACTICE. Karen is a shining example of what it takes to let hooping get inside your head, under your skin, swirling inside your brain, naturally in your muscles and then let your heart take over. It’s not something you think of as exercise…it is something you do for fun, with skills you want to master. All the while you ARE getting amazing health benefits, both physical and mental…total body workout, toning muscles and using many parts of the body all at once, from your toes & fingers to the deep parts of your brain. You WANT to tell someone about your milestones. Each little gain builds more strength, more adaptability for the next move…it becomes a healthy addiction. You are hooked and are proud of your accomplishments. Hooping for exercise is where we might start, but where the hoop takes us, what it brings into our lives is a WHOLE other story…transformations, connections, celebrations and more.
1978 was the year I graduated from high school…Karen, a year younger than me, still had her senior year to go…I hadn’t seen her since then….until she came a couple of weeks ago for her hoop lesson.
78 rotations…a coincidence? I think not.
Rock on, Karen. Hoop on, sister!
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