Virtual Run Club - we are all runners
Pictured here, my new acupuncture place! Who cares! It's probably really far from where you live because a. you live in a different state or b. you don't live so far out in Brooklyn that the street names turn to Sesame Street themes.. Avenue S anyone??
I'm sharing because this week I've been thinking a lot about how our perception of ourselves can change what we engage in. I saw two Virtual Run Club alum for in-person run sessions last week (You can do it too!) and like much of the magic of VRC, we spent the hour untangling their idea of themselves as runners vs their idea of what 'runners' are. We so often hold ourselves back from change just because we think that possibility is 'not us'.
In this vein, it's easy to think you are a person who only goes to certain places and does certain things bc you have been going to certain places to do certain things since you began doing those things! There's even font to tell us the places we should go or, really, where we may or may not be welcome. We recently tried a cool bar near us and couldn't help but notice the slick font that clearly signaled our people were welcome there. And it was true! It was great. And there were so many wool beanie hats and Blundstones....
Dr. Shugui Cui's does not have cool font. It is bare bones, cash only and only takes walk-ins (which also, awesome!) And like all amazing acupuncture places, in just under 40 minutes I had the feeling that someone had slowly opened a valve at the top of my head and let all the steam out. It was fantastic.
If I only tried places that I thought I was sure to like, I would have missed out on this gem (and the little dim sum spot on the corner nearby). If my Virtual Run Club alum had stayed firm to their belief that they were ' not runners' they never would have discovered the joy of running and even more exciting, the athleticism of their OWN unique bodies while they run.
What's the spot you always pass in your neighborhood, town, route home? Walk in sometime soon. What's a thing you have to admit you've always been curious about but CANNOT see yourself doing.. cross-stitcher? pasta chef? rock climber? mountain biker? You might end up with a brand new hobby, hang-out or in my case, healer!
If you try a new thing. Please tag me. I'd so love to see it.