Catacombs - places of reverence &refuge
I will never forget the moment when I was convicted in my spirit that CrossFit was what I currently wanted to do most in my life - for me, and just ME. I was sitting outside, at my outdoor, glass table-top, table. It has magic in it because it was my beloved Grandma’s. That moment was a little over a year ago and I was doing one of Heather Chauvin’s free courses (she is a magical unicorn in my Oxygen First journey). Heather had me color pictures about where my life was full and where I felt empty. I remember my relationship bucket being full. My career bucket mostly full. But my exercise bucket lacking and empty. Bored, not empty, but blah. My self-care bucket just about the same and so was my relationship with money bucket - blah. But honestly, I don’t remember many of those details but I remember answering her questions:
1) What if money didn’t matter ?
2) What would you do if you knew you wouldn’t fail ?
3) What if you actually had the support you need but you weren’t trusting it?
SO I did it. I signed up for a free intro class at a local gym that I had cyber stalked for years - CrossFit Catacombs, now named Catacombs Fitness. I signed up when I knew Dominic would be in Birmingham for 2 weeks without me with his cousins - the longest we had and still have ever been apart. I knew I could fit it into a schedule if he wasn’t around and it would give me something to focus on during those two, long weeks. But I didn’t know how I would do it once he returned. How would I fit this in our “busy” life???
So I started. I didn’t know if I would like it, or even be able to do it, or really actually like it. Every single text I got it those two weeks was likely ignored. I was like a kid at Disneyland for the first time and nothing distracted me. I got done with the 6 week intro in a week and then joined the real classes. The people were insanely welcoming and it wasn’t some kind of sausage fest of beefy meatheads like I had encountered at my last gym. I felt safe and welcomed. And holy sweat balls, I was sucking air. It was horrible. Intense. Horrible good though and it lit a fire in me to keep pushing, to know that this would get better, that I would get more fit.
And as I got more fit, as I found a way to go to each class, I also found community. I found a safe haven for myself and my son. I did not expect to find community; I had expected to find competition. This community had a solid foundation of connecting first and supporting each other, not breaking each other down. Dominic returned home from his trip and began going with me regularly. He enjoys it and is allowed to watch me “throw around heavy weights” in his words, or ride his bike, or read and sit with the other children. At my old gym, he had to stay in childcare and never watched me sweat and experience the joy of exercise. Much to my surprise, he even requests to go and notices when I haven’t gone and says “mom, do you think you might need a workout?” It’s his way of expressing that he sees me happier when I do go.
After a few weeks as a member of Catacombs, I looked up at the white board to read the workout and I noticed their mission statement instead. I remember standing there and tearing up, while I was already dripping sweat and coach looked at me wondering WTF I was doing.
Catacombs
“Are places of reverence and refuge where one goes to search for their soul, to find out who they really are, and to redefine themselves into the person they want to be. “
And that is what taking the first step towards what my soul called me to do has done for me. I committed to 3 days a week, then 4, then 5, and often even 6 these days. I got stronger. I was redefining the person I wanted to be. I started setting stronger boundaries for me and It became a non-negotiable in my life. Meanwhile, I said yes to other things my soul craved. Mastery with Heather Chauvin. Hypnotherapy to heal my subconscious wounds. A trip to Detroit. My new business. Quitting my job. Starting a blog. Allowing love and support into my life. Moving in with my love. And ultimately experiencing joy with each step. My relationships have transformed. My heart has transformed. All because I took one step towards something that my soul craved. Something seemingly so small has changed everything.
This is what Oxygen First does. For some reason, setting towards what our souls crave and desire, whether or not we know the reason, particularly when we can’t justify it for any logical reason, has magical power to it. It opens up the French Doors to the life that we crave.
I’m curious… what would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? What would you step into JUST FOR YOU?????
BIG LOVE,
