Hey friends, welcome to this episode of HGTV. In the next 4-minutes, I want to tell you a story about the dream that I had last night, and offer some hope for the future.
When I woke up this morning, the first image that I had in my head was of the gleaming black helmets that the death troopers wear in Rogue One. Except, I wasn’t looking at a soldier from the Star Wars universe, but rather at civilians in a dystopian post-coronavirus New York City where everyone was wearing self-contained breathing devices to ensure their safety.
Social gatherings were banned in my dream state, but I was part of a team that created an underground – and very illegal – fitness speakeasy at MFF in Hell’s Kitchen. Some of the coaches and I had figured out an elaborate screening system to keep everyone safe, and we taught class in the downstairs classroom, away from the prying eyes of the Muggles who feared we hadn’t taken appropriate precautions, which I assure you, we had.
The upstairs of MFF looked dark and abandoned, but after climbing down the back staircase, Ninjas entered an enchanted downstairs classroom, full of our beloved disco lights, Unicorns, and kettlebells. I taught a brand new version of Kickass Conditioning that I’ve written since MFF closed, and after a round of hugs and high-fives, we donned our masks, assumed anonymity, and left our sequestered shelter to return to that grim alternative reality.
That dream sounds like it could be pretty scary, right, a nightmare about coronavirus permanently prevailing and disrupting our lives indefinitely. That idea is nightmarish, but for me, this dream is full of hope: Hope that there are people who continue to care deeply about community and connection, about coming together to do the meaningful work of collectively moving.
I miss the Ninjas and my co-workers at MFF so deeply, so much that I dreamed a dream that they’ll come to me, that we will live the years together. I’m grateful to be in a position to dream of coaching and the people that I coach, so thank you Mark, Michael, and everyone who’s contributed to what MFF is today. To quote Ode from Arthur O’Shaughnessy:
A breath of our inspiration
Is the life of each generation;
A wondrous thing of our dreaming
Unearthly, impossible seeming —
The soldier, the king, and the peasant
Are working together in one,
Till our dream shall become their present,
And their work in the world be done.
No, we can’t be sure of what the future holds, but what I am sure about is this: Whether you come back by class or by the computer screen, MFF will always be there to welcome you home.
When I woke up this morning, I felt truly grateful to have found a craft and community that I feel truly passionate about serving each and every day. I’m not sure when we’ll be next be able to see each other in person, but I do know that when that day comes, it will be glorius.
Okay friends, that’s it for this episode of HGTV, thanks for joining me! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my career as a coach so far, and fully plan on continuing to teach how we can use fitness to further enhance our lives. If there’s anything you need help with in the coming weeks or months, please don’t hesitate to ask. You can watch my video of these words below:
Harold Gibbons 