Do you believe in yourself? That you can do anything you set your mind to? I definitely do. It takes patience, belief, and grace!
Picture this: 4 kids at home, teaching private lessons in the basement, driving to a neighboring suburb to teach a big mat class because no dance studio in my home town would allow me to, (shout out to AMA Dancers!), then meandering in unpredictable Chicago traffic to get to Bucktown on time for a few private students. It was a three-ring circus! I joined the local Chamber, Women in Business – felt like the next right thing to do as I had been a stay at home Mom, pregnant and nursing for 9 years after a dozen year career dabbling in marketing, a business that was fairly new to women at the time (when I started Marketing was not a “degree” option in college). I learned from the inside out, similar to learning to teach Pilates, starting as a dedicated weekly private student. Patience.
Driving by on a busy street close to the center of town, I noticed a “For Rent” sign and it got me to thinking. What if I could start my brand new business all in one place, close to home, making it affordable with group Reformer class options, and bring group Pilates to our community? What if? Belief. It happened.
Do you ever dream like that? I had a picture in my basement of a mirrored Pilates studio – like a vision board – and voila! TriPilates opened with mirrored walls and super high ceilings in July 2007, I remember exactly because we had just returned from the most delightful two weeks in Northern Wisconsin with my family. Rowing the boat to shore that last evening I cried, I realized that life was never going to be the same again, a shift was happening.
Grace has always carried me through thick and thin – many of you know the backstory of over 35 years, that’s not what is on my heart today. If it weren’t for grace when we moved TriPilates to our current location, we would not have this same mirrored space with tall ceilings – you see my basement wouldn’t fit a Cadillac – we simply had to have tall ceilings, and since then have installed our beautiful Aerial Silks and “Wunda Straps!” The mirrors help our rectangular 1800 sq foot space – but more than that – TODAY IT ALLOWS for TriPilates to continue to offer small groups with physically distanced mats and apparatus. (Silks and Straps will have to wait until it is safe). Grace.
Many of my colleagues’ studios are still closed, some opened only to be shut down or even here in Chicago scaled back. We are SO BLESSED by Grace here at TriPilates – and have been receiving calls and new students every week since we re-opened. I am still able to teach Virtually, but the schedule is not the same when we were closed – cannot teach virtually daily unless we put in some odd hours for you. Please do let me know if you like – and a few of our students are still opting for Virtual Private Lessons. We do have openings for private lessons and we do have small group classes – please let me know what you’d like added to the schedule as we slowly increase our pace.
There it is – there is a sense of knowing we are ok, that we will BE ok, that this too shall pass. We didn’t come this far to simply close our doors. We are open, through Grace, Belief, and yes, a lot of Patience. When you are ready to come back, we will be here for you. Please know that we appreciate your flexibility in fitting into the schedule perhaps at a different time that you are used to, we are all doing the best we can.
We will continue to wipe down the studio daily (yes, even though our students do), we will continue to take your temperature as you enter in the back door with a mask (one will be provided for you if you need it) and wash hands, wash hands, wash hands. Thank you to ALL who have kept our studio chugging along. I am hopeful and know that TriPilates is a sanctuary for getting connected to the power and grace inside each of us to stay healthy and strong.
