One true blessing of 2020 - from Tiffany's perspective

When the world shut down in March of last year and every person I used to see became a “risk” in some form or another. My world got a lot smaller (like so many, I know)! The alley that runs behind my house, became a meet up/safe place for my neighbors and friends. I spent all my weekend hang-time with a few other moms that live on that alley and we consumed a LOT of charcuterie and wine! These women became my tribe, truly. Once we made it through the summer, we were all sick of our bodies and our solitude. We made a plan to work out every morning and committed to each other and ourselves that we could rise from our “social” cycle.

Since then we have created a slightly bigger tribe, adding a few more moms and now we meet almost every weekday morning at 6am to move our bodies.  Cold, hot, drizzling (just not driving RAIN) – whatever the world throws at us…we have honored our commitment to workout together. Some days we do a HIIT video, some simply a brisk walk, and some a combination of both. Today it was 29 degrees (chilly for Alabama) and we all showed up. The workout was 100 push-ups mixed with some planks moves, balance work and heart-rate driving movements. Our group is encouraging, supportive, and vulnerable in the face of adversity. Missing 1 day is not a crime, but more than once and we check on each other. We don’t judge each other for size or speed. We share our heart rates often and laugh a lot at how uncoordinated we are.

It is my favorite thing to come out of the ugliness of COVID. Though I desperately I want this virus to go away, I hope this group and our habits stay for a long time.