Let's celebrate

In the Fall of 2016, I started a new job at South Boston Yoga as a shift supervisor on Monday nights. My new role introduced me to Rebel Recovery, a meditation meeting held at the studio. Somewhere along those first few weeks, one member of the group began to stand out. He was a regular at the meeting, and he was almost always late. It wasn’t hard to notice Jay. As if his flowing golden locks and unruly beard weren’t enough to set him apart, I quickly picked up on what can only be described as his vibe. He was kind and warm, and brought an ease to small talk that I hadn’t experienced before. He was calming and engaging at the same time. It was simply easy to be around him. Plus, he always had a bike helmet on and often asked me to charge it for him behind the desk. So I learned his face and name early on. It wasn’t until the spring when we really got to know each other. Small talk led to me asking more about the history of Rebel Recovery, which led to me connecting Jay with the studio owners for easy coordination of the meeting. At some point in the spring, Jay must have realized that I always stayed after the meeting to clean up and reset the studio. I don’t remember how it happened, but eventually Jay started to help clean up, taking on my least favorite task of sweeping and mopping the massive studio floor while I covered the rest of the cleaning tasks. As we cleaned, we talked. We plugged in our phones to the studio speaker system and jammed out to music as we worked. We got to know each other as two like minded people; we were both interested in philosophy and meditation, had some experience with yoga, and we both biked as our primary way of transportation. Most of all, we were both curious about people and sought out connection. It wasn’t long before we became friends. Eventually, I asked him (as a friend) if he wanted to meet up for coffee.

I had heard about this meditation meeting at a yoga studio from a friend of mine. Having dabbled in meditation but not really delved too deeply, I decided to check it out. Little did I know at that time that I’d meet the love of my life through saying yes to this new experience. I noticed Amanda’s laugh first: Loud, proud, and full of joy, her laugh fills a space like no other. I was intrigued by this person and I wanted to know more about her story. The way she floated through a space with her charismatic, bubbly energy had a gravitational pull. As I continued attending the meditation meeting, I saw a need to be of service to the group cleaning up afterwards. I asked Amanda (the nickname Mandy was not yet conceived at this point in time) what more could be done, and she handed me a broom and a mop. I would sweep the floors and she would clean the bathrooms, each of us doing the task the other found undesirable. Our partnership began in the cleaning of that yoga studio. We would chat, listen to music, and learn more about each other in the coming months. And then something happened that I will never forget - she asked me for coffee. So rarely has this occurred in my life that it left an impression on me. I answered in the affirmative and said to her something along the lines of, “I’m trying to cultivate more bright and joyful people in my life, so I would love to grab coffee.”