By: A.D. Arnett
I remember the first time I saw Katie. My mother and I were enjoying our morning at the monthly street fair in Helotes, Texas, two years ago when I came across her Curves table. A bright-purple tablecloth covered with colorful tidbits of who-knew-what stuff caught my attention, and as my eyes shifted to an overweight lady behind the booth, smiling and very bubbly, my first thought was, “How is it that an overweight person is trying to motivate others to lose weight?” It seemed to me that whatever she was trying to sell wasn’t really working! I’m always educating myself about the newest health and fitness programs out there and had not paid attention to this local Curves in five years. The hours simply did not accommodate my work schedule, and it was geared toward “older” women, right? Nevertheless, we stopped at the booth to see what it was all about. Katie began to glow, describing her Curves facility and sharing her story with us. I remember the cute purple goody bags she gave us. My mother lived a few blocks from this Curves and had been a former member years ago, but the price was higher than other local fitness facilities. She was currently using the fitness room in her apartment complex, so we left the fair without giving Katie’s Curves another thought.
I was a proud Air Force Medic for more than 20 years and retired in 2010. I never earned a college degree. The Air Force was my career, so instead, I used my management experience to land two well-paying positions after retirement. Fast-forward to 2016 where life threw me a detour: For the first time, I lost what I thought to be a great job. It just so happens that this job also came with a high level of stress due to a few unmotivated employees and a workplace bully! I had been browsing job ads for months waiting for a civil service position to appear in hope of returning to the military environment I missed so much but never took time to apply. My awesome husband, always supportive of anything I pursue, suggested I take it easy for a while (I love this man!). Since I had worked full time since retiring, I wasn’t ready to be without a job for any length of time just yet. I immediately began to search for something much less stressful. After all, I was retired, 52 and deserved to slow down, right?
I quickly noticed an ad for a part-time Curves circuit coach. I remembered this place, and it was less than two miles from my home! It was a start, right? I applied and secured an interview. When I arrived, Katie greeted me. There she was, that same lady I had seen two years ago, smiling and much smaller! The position offered few hours and a small hourly rate, a mere fraction of what my last salary was. What it did offer was a free Curves complete membership and an opportunity not to be the boss for a change. The low-stress option spoke volumes to me. And here I am today, five months later, working this part-time job with zero stress in an uplifting environment where women become great friends to each other while they get healthy. I have no personal training or health coach certification but instead use my life experience in conjunction with my military fitness background and Curves training to coach and inspire others while focusing on injury prevention. Neither of us know where life will take us, but I know we’re both enjoying the ride.
So, I suppose you are hoping I’ll get to the point of what or who this story is really about. Is it about Katie, a single mother (and her one-year-old daughter, Maeve, who has grown up around all the ladies at Curves!) who has worked hard to elevate her level of health by her 116-pound weight loss? By the way, it’s important to know that she purchased this Curves facility not just as a business for herself but for the loyal members so they could continue coming to work out. Is the story about me? After all, I’m a totally cool 52-year-old mom and new grandma who left the world of full-time stress, allowing me time to clean the house and sometimes cook for my husband!
In the past year, I’ve been extremely fortunate. I was able to transition to another phase of my life. At the very same time, I began to watch Katie prepare for her future. I could say that this story is about my little detour to Curves and how empowering and inspiring the environment is; however, it’s about so many other things as well! It’s about the Curves program and how effective it is for those who stick to it. It’s about the reality that a college degree isn’t necessarily required to land a good career, to find happiness or even financial success. It’s about friendship and relationships and the realization that money isn’t everything. Life is what you make of it or simply how you see it and where paths lead or take you. Happiness comes from many things, including (in my personal order) good health, family, safety, love, security and individual spirituality.
So, this story is about how life and its circumstances intertwine to bring people together—at times, helping to smooth out all the little bumps we come across. It takes time to connect the dots. Then we suddenly realize, in the spur of a moment, that some things that happen in our lives just might have happened for a reason! Life doesn’t need religion attached to it, either, though many find great comfort and peace in faith. So, pay attention and make sure you enjoy the little things throughout life. Don’t miss those detours! I’m sure you’ll find that you will be connecting some meaningful dots of your own.
Alesa is a United States Air Force Veteran and traveled around the globe, often separated from her family serving as a Medic for more than 20 years. She retired in 2010 in Texas where she still resides with her wonderful, supportive husband of 24 years. They have three children including a son currently serving in the Marines and an adorable grandson Max. For more information on finding a Curves near you go to: http://www.curves.com/locations