Celebrating and Community

In our family, we celebrate a lot. I’m the first of twenty-one grandchildren on my mom’s side, and a bunch of us recently got together to celebrate my grandmother’s twentieth great-grandchild. Finally seeing my grandma after seventeen months apart was wonderful, and she really got me thinking about the importance of gathering – not just with family, but in other ways as well. 

Something to Look Forward To

My grandmother is ninety-four years old and still very mentally sharp. Maybe it’s because she has to keep track of her ever-growing family tree, but I think it’s something more. She used to always have a hand in organizing family outings and gatherings, making sure we stayed close and in touch. These days, she gets to relax as a guest of course, but she still always looks forward to celebrating a birthday or holiday with family.

I believe she has stayed so young at heart because she’s kept people around her. With such a big family, there’s always something to look forward to, and a reason to keep enjoying life. When we find reasons to get up, get out, and be with others, life is more fun! I feel so fortunate to have a big family that actually likes visiting one another, but there are lots of other ways to find your “people” out there. 

I Choose Movement

I think I’ve inherited my grandmother’s love of building community, but I prefer doing it through movement instead of birthday parties (though I’ll always say yes to cake!). In the beginning of my career, I taught at a gym where I would show up at a certain time for class and just hope that people would come! Soon though, I noticed people were coming to my classes because they liked the way I taught them and made them feel. I was building a little community one class at a time, and I loved it.

These days, I bring people together through in-studio Pilates and strength training or through the running club I lead. The Sweat with Melissa group also has its own online community, and I’ve collaborated with other fitness instructors over the years in our larger Pilates community. And I have bigger goals with fitness in mind…

My bigger goal and passion is to find ways to bring these various communities together to connect, have fun, and move. Is a retreat in the near future? It’s possible! In fact, anything can be possible when you surround yourself with people who support and lift you up; like my fitness community does, and like my family does for each other.

Whether you choose to build a community of your own, or join one that feels right to you, I hope you have somewhere to go that gives you something to look forward to – and maybe even a chance to celebrate!