During the spring of 2001, I had planned and prepared for a Fitness Retreat to be held in Rye, NY – right across the Sound from the New York City.
The retreat was scheduled to take place late October that same year.
Which then turned out to be about 5 weeks post 9/11 events in NYC.
The fitness retreat was fully booked. I had rented Wainwright House, an eclave of historic buildings on beautiful grounds right above the water of Long Island Sound. My dear friend Brook helped me find the location, as she lived just around the corner.
Once the events in NYC happened early September, of course we all had the wind taken out of our sails and questions came up about going through with the retreat. Should we or shouldn’t we?
Our retreat lodging at Wainwright House
Because my heart and gut told me that now it was more important to be fit and strong than ever before. Maybe we didn’t care as much about that inch on our thigh, as priorities certainly shifted. But the desire to cultivate inner resilience and bodily strength rose to the occasion.
We met with that as our beacon of motivation and energy through the weekend.
Not a single participant canceled. They flew in from all over, into LaGuardia or JFK, when airport security had taken on fresh, astronomical proportions. Do you remember all the marines and armed guards at checkpoints? Walking airport lobbies with their boots and weaponry?
And as the retreat got underway, much healing began, as we came together from all over the country to address our health, become more fit, and meet with other women in a caring community.
The day before the retreat began, Brook and I took the train into the city and walked the perimeter of Ground Zero. The air was still thick with dust, storefronts were blocked by piles of debris, dust and ash. Most people on the street wore masks to keep from coughing on the thick air.
And astonishingly, in the bustling streets that would previously have been ablare with taxi-cab horns, not a honk was heard, and everyone gave everyone else the right of way, courtesy, and kindness.
These reflections are in my mind today as the anniversary of 9/11 is upon us. And I always remember the gumption our team brought forth in themselves and each other to keep our date with fitness, strength, and health through our retreat. And how much I appreciated these women, and still do, as memories of that Fall surge on the occasion of today.
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