I'm going to do something dangerous. No, my Quest hasn't led me to bungee jumping off the Casco Bay Bridge or anything, but this could actually have even greater repercussions than that. I'm going to write about my fellow Questers.
Six weeks ago, we were complete strangers. Now - as Jeff has stated - we are like a little family, caring for, nurturing, and cheering on each other every Monday and Friday. Six weeks ago, our paths would have crossed (as all paths seem to in Portland), but we would never have touched each others lives.
I'll start with Alex. As the "old" man of the group, I look at Alex as great "kid", as I am her elder by about eleven years, I think. I can just imagine how old my thirty seven years seems to her. But hopefully it shows her that it's never too late, and as I said in my last entry, being who you want to be is perpetual work in progress. I have seen great changes in Alex, both physically and emotionally. When she walked into The Landing on Monday, I thought to myself, "Wow, she's really changing!" Walking taller, looking more confident. Looking happy. I'm also seeing a competitive side to Alex, which wasn't so prevalent six weeks ago. She's a great "kid", who even though she doesn't know it, she pushes me to work harder. Thanks Alex, keep it going.
Then there's Jeff. Jeff and I have really formed a bond throughout this endeavor. In addition to being the only dudes, we have much in common; from where we are at in life, and most importantly, we're both Red Sox fans. Really, enough said, but I'll trudge on. Jeff and I both have much of our glory days in sports behind us, but are enjoying rekindling those competitive feelings. Many days after class, Jeff and I will "bond" in the Heat Suite at The Landing, and really just chew that fat about life and The Quest. I've found a great friend in Jeff.
Rachel. The other day in class, I was shaking uncontrollably, trying to match Jeff's endurance performing the "plank". For those of you who don't know what it is, all you need to know is it's hard. As I struggled through this exercise, Rachel called out to me "Way to go Jon! You can do it!". Despite not getting a chance to tell her so, this meant a lot to me, for a couple of reasons. First of all, because we all need encouragement, and more importantly, because it came from Rachel. Rachel and I are probably the most different of people in our little family, but at least in my little brain, our bond (and trust) is getting stronger by the workout. There's something about Rachel that makes us all want to desperately cheer for her, and there's no one I want to see succeed (in whatever definition of success Rachel sees fit) in this thing we are all going through. I got your back, Rachel!
And of course, our Editor in Chief, Shannon. As you all know from her blog, she makes us all laugh. We so desperately need this humor on early, unmotivated Monday and Friday mornings. Her personality lights up the room, and really helps us get through what we need to get through. Really, being a hired gun from the paper, she could have just gone through the motions for ten weeks, but not Shannon. She's in there, going through all the same sweaty experiences we all are. In a way, I'd dare say she's the leader of this pack, as she's been there for all of us, in one way or another. I hope by the end of our ten weeks, I can exchange the favor.
Lest we forget Catherine. Although she's the administrator of our blood, sweat, and tears and not a recipient of the punishments (I mean workouts), she's a huge part of our little Quest clique. Her demeanor, encouragement, and wisdom to give us all what we need, when we need it is nothing short of amazing. It would be impossible to quantify our gratitude for what she has given us. And what she has given us, in essence, is ourselves. Is that confusing? Well, come to The Landing, start your own quest and you'll understand. I'll meet you at 26.2, Catherine.