I Really Think » Amy R. Peacock
Life, Through
Action “The loss of a loved person is one of the most intensely painful experiences any human being can suffer.” — John Bowlby
www.TodaysCharlotteWomanMag.com | January 2014 58
I know that kind of loss. I bet many of you do, too. So what do you do? Become a Female in Action. Exactly a year ago, along with a good friend, I helped create the group FiA (Females in Action). What caused me to do this? Pain. By age 40, I was grieving, lonely, searching, wandering and very worried I would get cancer or ALS (known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), and cut this beautiful life short — things I had experienced happening to my parents. Grief is a funny thing. I learned I could not work enough, workout hard enough, run enough, pray enough, or drink away the grief monster. No book or therapist could solve my pain. You see, sometimes pain is the only thing left to hold on to. At the very least, it is something you can feel. So, of course, I held on tight! In many ways, I lost a decade. Or two. The song “Closer To Fine,” by the Indigo Girls, defines what I was going through. Another good one is “Everybody Hurts Sometimes,” by REM. I was hurting. That much was certain. I didn’t know what to do with all that hurt. But, I learned. I learned that if you ignore life’s “hurts,” they get covered by addictions to busyness, food, anger, depression, drugs, alcohol, infidelity, or worse. You can
only break the pattern through community and in helping others to heal, too. I could not do it alone! I looked around for this type of “transformation community” in Charlotte. Then I had a thought. Should I create it? About that time, I heard about F3nation, a men’s workout group that stands for fitness, fellowship and faith. The program has been life changing for many men. How I wish my father (former military) had enjoyed that network of support … maybe he would be with us now. I knew there was the same need of fitness and fellowship for women out there. And so, I talked with F3 founders and decided to test it out for females. Last January, my friend Jasmeet Dillard agreed to join me for our first workout. Would it work for women? FiA, formally F4, launched in January 2013. And guess what? It did work for women. We currently have over 100 women who meet at 5:15 a.m. daily and are done by 6 a.m. We meet across Charlotte, Matthews, Ballantyne, Davidson and Fort Mill, S.C., to workout, circle up, say a prayer or positive intention for the day, before running off to work or work at home. We are now transforming — mind, body and soul. And that includes my own mind, body and soul. Our age group ranges from 10 years old, to 50. Each fellow Female in Action says it makes her work and home life better. So,here’s to a great year in action! It has been a joy-filled success. [TCW]
TOLEARNMORE Visit Femalesinaction.com.