A month ago I arrived to the parking lot of my gym. Many people hauled bags, yoga mats or just their water bottles to or from the building. I sat in a moment of appreciation.
I’d started coming to this gym shortly after arriving to Colorado to live five years ago. I was still living in Canon City with my parents and commuting to and from Colorado Springs for my job. Later, the commute became for my job and the gym… this gym.
The above mural is on the wall of the gym. It reminded me of my college days attending UCCS when every week at least once after a class when I had a gap in my schedule, I would head to Garden of the Gods on the west side of town. I would park my car and jog the loop which was a couple of miles. One part would involve the largest hill of the run which turned to the left at the top. Right after the left turn, you beheld the view as seen in the photo above. The exerting jaunt up the hill would take my breath away, then this view… live… in person, would take my breath away. It would light me from head to toe and make the rest of the jog seem effortless.
To see this image in my gym reminded me and served to bring that same light to today’s workouts. Many hours on the treadmill, and nautilus equipment followed. Signing up with a personal trainer followed, but was discontinued because I couldn’t afford it. Then COVID pandemic arrived. A few months before the official lock down of the city, I’d found and moved into an apartment in Colorado Springs. My gym along with all of the others closed.
Gradually, things started opening up again. I waited for my gym although can’t always say patiently. Finally, the day came. First, it opened with restrictions then finally, the workouts were back again just as they had been before the pandemic.
So here I sit, in my car, in the parking lot, watching people go in and out grateful that unlike another 24 hour fitness branch, this one, my branch, seemed to have survived the ordeal. The other close branch had closed permanently in 2020 due to COVID.
That moment sitting in my car occurred about a month ago.
Two weeks later, I arrived at my gym to find a poster announcing that the branch was closing mid-May. Confused, knowing there was very good attendance I questioned the woman at the counter.
Apparently the owner of the building was choosing to sell it. This led to the need to evict the gym. She said there was a small chance the buyer would be willing to put in the money for the much needed renovations and re-invite the gym back, but their assessment was that was not likely.
So, it looks like I will be moving to another gym mid-May. They will have treadmills and nautilus equipment, and even the pool when I am ready to plunge in there. Ah, but the nostalgia of this one… Thanks gym. You made this unexpectedly difficult last five year period a joy, and you helped get me through.