As we end one long holiday weekend and prepare for the next, we find that this time of year always seems to bring families closer together. Those relatives you don’t see very often make an effort to get together over the holidays. It’s sad to me that we only make an effort this one time of year to be around these people.
I don’t have a lot of family around here. My mom died before my youngest daughter was born. My biological father died exactly 2 years later. I lost touch with my dad (he was my mom’s second husband and adopted me when I was little), and even though I get along well with my step-dad, we don’t keep in contact as much since my mom died.
I have a brother that is almost 10 years younger than me. We get along just fine, but he moved away to California a few years ago. Him and I are in very different stages of our lives and as much as I love him, we don’t have a lot in common.
I am divorced and remarried. If you are (or have ever been) in that situation, you realize that your second set of in-laws are not quite the same as the first. (Hopefully they are better!) But being my age and our marriage being newer, there just isn’t that deep level of familial closeness. It’s a bit harder to connect to the “nieces and nephews” when you come into their lives later. It can be difficult when you are not your spouses first spouse.
But, of course, as you know, family means a lot of different things these days. Family is about so much more…
When I think about family these days, right now, I think about my husband and my 3 kids. “My Family” starts with me and goes downward in the family tree. I am hoping to establish a close family tree from here on out. I hope that my kids will always stay close (even if not physically), and I hope to be a part of their kids’ lives as well. But all of that is in the future.
But “My Family” doesn’t end there. The gym is my family too. Even as our gym family grows, I try and make a point to know something special and personal about each person that steps through our doors.
I look around the gym each day and see people that have been coming to the gym since we first opened. I see people that have gotten married. I see people that have had babies. I see couples that have met at the gym. I also see the people who have gotten divorced, I see the ones that have lost loved ones, and I see the ones that have suffered hard times in their lives.
I look around at events I get invited to. I notice the number of people that are gym members. I notice how many people have met new friends, roommates, and spouses at the gym. I notice how many people I get to know and be a part of their lives because of the physical and virtual space we call Recursive. Some of these people have been around for a long time, some for a short time, some are guests and visitors to the gym while traveling through the area.
Whatever your connection to the gym, you are my family. And I share your joys and I share your pain. You are my family and you are always welcome here. And if you are like me and don’t have a lot of blood relatives around, know that you are always welcome in my home, not just for the holidays, but anytime you need family. Family is important, and we are always here for you.