“Work Hard & Be Nice,” is a motto that we have become so familiar with in this community. What sets it apart from your typical gym motto, is the emphasis on putting in work, without stepping on others to achieve success. ”It takes a village,” is another familiar saying that we ease over without much thought at all. But when you trace it back to its origin, you realize that before the reliance on technology and self-help books, people relied on each other to sustain. I started to think about this when I met a man the other day named Vern. He said that when he was at the mall recently with one of his young daughters, he told her to wait outside the bathroom and that if she needed anything, she could come in. When he finished, he stepped out of the bathroom door to an older man and a woman hovering around his child. “You shouldn’t leave her here alone you know, someone could take her!”
He said that the man barked this at him with conviction. Vern said at first he felt annoyance–because let’s be real, no one likes to be shamed into how to parent their own child. But what he said next surprised me. He told me that they were just looking out for the village, and he is okay with that.
So what can we take away from a mindset such as this and when did it become a negative thing to ask for the help of others? We second guess ourselves because most of the time we try and conceal the struggle in working alone, just to reach the satisfaction of doing it without anyone’s help. But that is where CrossFit Eden Prairie and Prior Lake have hit it right on the money. When you go to a workout, you start in a semi-circle and state your name. This unifies us in the process of what is to come next. People are there to cheer you on, when the last few Burpee’s have you sprawled out like pancake batter on a griddle, getting you through till the end.
So in a way, CrossFit is not only unifying people from all walks of life, but it stresses the value in being there to help your community surpass obstacles. If this is something that people can live out in one area of their lives, it is promising that it can carry through to other times in life when it doesn’t feel like seeking help is the answer.
Written By: Hayley Sutherland