Working in child care I have seen many children and parents struggle in their day to day lives, for all different reasons. Some have illnesses, marital issues, work struggles, differing abilities, some just 'life' things. If it has taught me one thing, it truly is that #ItTakesAVillage. I am not talking about in just raising kids, but also just life. #LifeTakesAVillage. We all have different life experiences and we all handle them differently. What typically will help us pull through is our community, those that surround us. It doesn't have to be family by blood, it doesn't have to be someone we consider a 'friend'. It can be a job, coworkers, a police officer, a therapist, etc.
To be honest, this sense of #LifeTakesAVillage was a part of my life way before I ever started working in child care. It was innate in me. I don't even really know when it started. If it was the safety I felt in my own little 'village' when I was younger, growing up with a single mom that worked to support her family and being able to just walk into my neighbors house knowing I would be welcome for dinner at any time? Was it the kindness and compassion my mom showed others regardless of what she had gone through? Or was it later in my high school years when my parents really felt strongly that they wanted to help and support others in ways they hadn't been, or would have wished to have been supported when they were growing up?
My house was always an open door. When we moved to Illinois from Michigan, we lived in Glenview, a north shore town not far from the city. Money was abundant in most areas, however even in a north shore town there is a 'wrong' side of the tracks per say. These people weren't necessarily poor, but they weren't your typical person from Glenview, this is where we lived. A lot of the kids my age struggled with various issues, I think I saw more 'real life' in the two years I lived there then ever. My friends that struggled knew they always had a home. They always had a place to go and an adult that would support them because my parents created that. They always tried. Of course there were rules, boundaries, expectations, etc. It definitely was not a free for all, however it was a safety.
Aside from my friends that had it 'rough' (I fully realize this is a relative term!) as we got older I would see my parents trying to support adults that had lost their way or elderly whose relationships with their own family was tarnished for whatever reason. It is just what we did as a family, we jumped in. You needed a family we were there, we don't think twice about visiting an elderly friend that is in the hospital with no family near by (preCOVID!) or offering to help a family in need.
Again, everyone's community or village looks different. For example, meet Brittany. Brittany was born with a chromosome switch and Ectrodactyly (which in layman's terms essential means being born with out or having a partial absence of one or more digit). This along with just life situations and happenings led to some dark days for Brittany. She found her community through working out, which gave her the confidence to find other communities and share her story with the world and us! Here's her story-
"I’m the only one in my family that was born with a limb difference on my hands and feet, so I was no stranger to the hospital. I don’t want to say that I’m disabled because I’m not, I can do what everybody else can do just in a different way. If you are curious for the correct term of what I have it is called Ectrodactyly. In addition to that I also had a chromosome switch which caused me to have permanent baby teeth and I believe it also affected my height as well, but I could be wrong. Regardless, I was no stranger to surgeries growing up. I have had dental surgery and had dental implants.
I worked in the fast food industry for quite some time and decided to change it up so now, I’ve been at Target for almost 3 years as a cashier. As much as I have stressful days at work (but who doesn’t) they took care of me when I broke my femur 2 years ago. That brings me to the reason why I started working out. When I broke my femur I had the worst mindset and became depressed. When I started feeling better and stronger my brother suggested to get a gym membership. Then a friend reached out to me and was like 'hey, I see what you are doing, have you ever thought about being a Beachbody coach?', so I took the plunge and here I am now a year into it..
Being a coach means more than just fitness, it’s about a community whose all about cheering you on and giving you the confidence you need to be your true self and that’s where I thrive... because of this community, I have that sense of belonging, that there was a chair waiting for me and these ladies welcomed me with open arms and heard my struggles and knew my insecurities but still cared about me with no judgement. My biggest fear was rejection and that’s worst feeling of all. This community, has given me the courage to share my struggles on social media and what I had to overcome to get where I am today without the feeling of being judged or anything else. In sharing my story, I received so much love from everyone else. It led me to a community of people who also have limb differences and last and certainly not least I had the opportunity to tell my story on a podcast, Boss Talk with the Fit Boss."
- Brittany Leese, Beachbody Coach, Exercise Guru and Target Team Member
Check out the podcast I was on! Episode # 64 on Boss Talk With the Fit Boss.
I will end with this, a quote by Elder Russel M. Ballard-
'Great things are brought about and burdens are lightened through the efforts of many hands anxiously engaged in a good cause.'
- Sierra Zaban, Center Director at The Learning Experience Gurnee
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