I realize I tend to proactively start a fitness regime once Winter term ends. I guess this perfectly makes sense seeing that I have the time to do so, the weather takes a turn from old man winter, and its a opportune time to get out and work out from a brutal term of inactivity.
So my latest gig to kick myself in the butt is Zumba at a fairly new fitness studio close to my home. I bought a Groupon for it last week (what perfect timing!) and have been enjoying it since. Tonight was only my third class, but not only do I foresee myself doing this as a regular means of exercise, I've also been drawn to the sense of community and welcoming faces I come to Zumba with. Majority of the ladies who practice there are noticeably older than me from the ages of mothers to seniors, though I caught sight of someone around my age today.
Well, that's besides the point, what I want to share is what stood out to me before I even stepped foot into the studio on day one. The instructor was running late and as I was waiting for the studio to open, this middle age lady broke the ice and asked if I was 'new,' and then went on to tell me how friendly everyone is and how people openly converse with one other. I didn't think too much of it other then the fact that she was just being friendly, as there was nothing else to be done but to wait for the doors to open. When class started though, I questioned if I had clashed in on a private party because everyone seemed to know each other, and the only difference from an exclusive engagement was that I was being engaged to as well.
During my second class, a younger lady reassured me that my hands would be 'okay' before we began the Zumba toning class and informed me of what to do if the dumbell-like weights we had to hold on to cramped my hands. I felt like because everyone came so regularly, I obviously was the sore thumb that stuck out and needed to be updated on these things (in a kind manner of course).
In tonight's class, I caught two ladies talking closely and one abruptly looking at me, we briefly caught eye contact (and you know how things can get awkward when you know you've been looking at each other, but you don't say anything to each other?), well she came up to me right after the 'look' to ask me if it was my first time there because she had never seen me before. She was an older lady and encouraged me to keep coming even if I disliked my first few classes (because she did), and at the end of class, introduced and invited me to another class she attended too. I also found out that the lady I saw her talking to earlier wasn't even her friend, in fact, they didn't even know each others' name-what?!
So you may be asking and thinking, what's my point? Somehow I related this sense of community, warm gestures, and engaging attitudes to a church. I don't know how I got this revelation, but I was thinking as I drove home, if I felt so reached out to in a secular place, imagine the impact of a stranger feeling this way when they first enter a church. What if every person who walks into church felt this same sense of community even before they stepped into the church? We always say the church this, the church that, but it really is the people who are the body of Christ that displays His love with open arms. I may have been taken by surprise at the approach these ladies taken towards me, but regardless of the initial thought, it makes me want to return and continue to go.
Every new activity I do on my own can make me feel shy at first because I don't know anyone, I'm worried about doing something wrong or looking stupid. However, because of the attitudes of these fellow Zumba-ers, I felt so comfortable and even a part of this studio already (in comparison to hot yoga... which is anti-social haha).
Well, just some thoughts to put out there. It's absurd for me to feel so bonded to a secular setting, yet I know of those who feel so isolated, alone, and even not welcomed in a church setting. How does this make sense? Shouldn't the people in the church extend a loving attitude beyond what the world can?
Let's ponder on this.
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