Two of the three things I'm most thankful for!
Today is our day of Thanksgiving here in the US... only problem is the whole concept of being "thankful" tends to be forgotten - overshadowed by food, football and the anticipation of Black Friday sales.*
Not in the Macgowan family 🙂
Amy won't allow us to forget. She has insisted, beginning on our very first Thanksgiving together, that we focus on who we are truly thankful for. Late this afternoon we'll all sit down for dinner and before we eat, Amy has us pass around a burning candle. We each take a turn where we tell everyone who we are thankful for and why.
Notice that I said "who" and not "what" we each are thankful for. It took me a while before I really understood the distinction of what Amy was insisting...
While we all can agree that being thankful for what we have is important, Amy's point has been that beyond our own efforts, it's the actions of the people in our lives who we should be most thankful for.
So, for example, being thankful for your job (a "what") changes to being thankful for the person(s) who are actually responsible for providing you with a place to teach...
Maybe its your GF department head, who saw some initial talent in you and was willing to look past the fact that you had no certification and still hired you, all those years ago - thanks Kym. Or there's a good chance the reason you have a job at all is because of the enormous personal and financial risks the owner of your studio has taken. As I write this I'm struck with this question; does this mean I should be thankful for someone like Bahram Akradi who started LifeTime fitness? Yes, I think it does.
So while I was up early getting the "bird" prepped, I started to think through my list of people for whom I'm most thankful this year - which motivated me to create this post so I could express my thanks for them publicly. I don't have time for details but please know that I'm truly thankful for each person on this list - which beyond the obvious is not in any particular order - and if someone is missing please forgive the oversight:
- Amy Macgowan
- Abby Macgowan
- Carly Macgowan
- Don and Jo Paton
- All of our ICI/PRO members
- Bill Prior
- Barbara Hoots
- Chuck Cali
- Tom Scotto
- Gene Nacey
- Jim Karanas
- Laurel Mylin
- Cameron Chinatti
- Darrin Pelkey
- Sally Edwards
- Rick Goodchild
- Allen Jones
- Craig Andrews
- Angela Anderson
- Heather Sawdey
- Nina Israel
- Andrea Flaherty
- Doug Rusho
- Leslie Mueller
- Kym Jolstad
- Joe Ducosin
- Randy Erwin
- Dan Macgowan
- Steve Dimmick
- Colleen Mathews
- Christine Nielsen
- Bahram Akradi
- And none of us can forget Johnny G!
So who are you thankful for?
John is a member on the AFS (Association of Fitness Studios) Advisory Council.
Holding certifications from; Schwinn, Heart Zones, Team ICG and Life Time Fitness, John's held regularly scheduled cycling classes between 1998 and 2015 when he moved to Florida.
When the weather permits, you'll find him riding and leading outdoor groups by himself or with his Tandem partner (wife) Amy.
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