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Pandemic Reflections
Kicking the Air With a Bunch of Retirees Is the Only Thing Keeping Me Going
During the pandemic, I discovered the life-affirming magic of learning mixed martial arts with your family
Shortly after sunrise every Thursday and Sunday morning, I log on to Zoom and learn mixed martial arts for an hour with my retired parents, aunts, and uncles. Tuesdays and Saturdays are slightly softer: We practice hip-hop, jazz, and Latin dance.
We are not a particularly fitness-minded family, and we are not especially good at mixed martial arts or dancing (although my sexagenarian dad’s Brazilan samba footwork is impressive, and my upward elbow strike is rather vicious). Nevertheless, we keep showing up. My 33-year-old cousin Trish, a palliative care doctor on the front lines of the pandemic, participates too. In fact, it was her idea to get everyone on a weekly workout schedule, presenting it as a virtual Christmas gift to the family. It was a joke at first, and yet here we are, ready to jab-cross-uppercut-cha-cha our way into the spring.
One of the most welcome surprises I have experienced during this pandemic is the unwavering dedication of all eight members of the group (Trish takes attendance; it’s near-perfect). Nothing in…
