Five beautiful women gathered at the old mansion in the middle of town. The sky was not gray with clouds, or blue in color, but shimmered in shades ombre tinted from the forest fire up north. The air hinted of a fall on a late summer’s morning. A light breeze blew the old trees bordering the stone column pavilion.
One by one, pink, blue, and purple yoga mats slapped the cement floor. The click of gears and the sound of rubber tires gripping for land heard as Mikelle joined the circle.
There they were, the Shining Beautiful team stood. MaryAnn, pretty and athletic, Liz, a tall, slender brunette with a winning smile, and Salena, exotic and flowing like a wild river. Mikelle showed up eager to join in the exercise circle.
We readied to stretch our limbs, move our joints, fly like acrobats, do splits, bend and point our toes skyward under the direction of Keely Knack of KnackAcro and yoga.
Since the advent of COVID-19, the SB Community has woven a magic spell laced with a fun-loving determination to continue our focus on living the good life and surfing these wild, chaotic waves of change.
Last spring, when my gym closed down, I began three months of private, in the park, gymnastics with Keely at Governor’s Park with the Grant Humphrey’s as a backdrop to my gymnasium. With Keely’s fine coaching, I have almost mastered the handstand and backbend. Mikelle’s young team has witnessed my progress and celebrated it with enthusiasm.
I approached Mikelle and her team about having a group class, and they jumped on it.
Since COVID appeared, the park has served to celebrate birthdays and relax with a good cup of coffee and read a good book. Now, we can add a gymnastic class to our sanctuary.
As the sun drops lower in the sky, the days grow shorter, the leaves change their hue, embarking on their golden journey towards winter. I wondered what the future holds when the temperature drops and the snowfalls. Will we hibernate not only from the cold but from civil unrest? Right, now the time outdoors is the only thing making sense, and that time is running out like sands in the hourglass.
That sense of urgency brought me to ask Keely if she might be interested in coaching our little community–including working with Mikelle. I searched her young face framed in long strawberry blonde. I focused on her sparkling blue eyes to see if there might be a hint of apprehension, but all I saw was a flash of enthusiasm. I could see she loved the idea.
I exhaled a generous breath of relief—one more thing to keep us healthy and moving forward in life. Keely had us fully engaged.
Even Liz’s rat terrier black and white dog, PeeWee, started doing the downward dog position. Soon we stretched, groaned, somersaulted into flying airplanes as we did as children. Mikelle stretched her limbs skyward, amazing her team, who never knew she could reach her arms over her head. She relaxed those overactive muscles and smiled with accomplishment, cheered on by her team.
Keely is now part of our Shining Beautiful community as we commit to health and well-being in the time of COVID.