Sharon at Rydeon

One thing I've read in a my grief books is how exercise can help with grief. I have been wanting to start an exercise program forever and this seemed like a good excuse to pursue it. I decided to try Rydeon which is studio cycling. I tried a class in January and it was horrible, but I kept at it. I was more afraid to not do it than to do it, if that makes sense. Five months later I am proud to say I am still doing it.

Something I wasn't expecting was the emotional release I experienced during one of my first few classes. I had a Saturday class and the instructor had the music turned up and she asked us to close our eyes. When I was pedaling, I was imagining things like pedaling fast enough to stop your accident, pedaling to the cemetery and blasting past it, to escape it, etc. That first time I did that, I had to put my head down because tears were starting to stream down my face. It was a way for me to just deal with all of the intense feelings that build up so quickly.

The instructor of that class was Sharon, and I have grown to appreciate her so much. She is always friendly and encouraging. Not all of the instructors are like that-she is extra special and is nice to everyone. Some of the other instructors don't even say "hi" even if they've never had me in their class before. There were days when I would look so forward to her class even though the rest of the day sucked or when she was a substitute for someone else, and it cheered me up to walk in to class and find that out.

This is not doing her justice, but I just wanted to gather some thoughts together because I'm going to give her a card on the last night of class next week with a tract in it. I just want to let her know my story and your story and I'm committed to giving the Gospel message each time I do that as a testimony to how I am dealing with the loss of you. (I still would like a better word than "loss" but I haven't been able to think of one yet). She's going to Canada this summer (I don't know if it's permanently) but it's a good reason to tell her how much she's helped me. I definitely wasn't expecting to bond with one of the instructors. She is so wonderful! Love you boy!

(I'm going to work on my letter to her here if you don't mind)

Dear Sharon,
I just wanted to let you know how much I have appreciated you as an instructor and as a person these past several months at Rydeon. I don't know if you know my story, but I came to Rydeon after reading that exercise was a good way to deal with grief. I knew I wanted to get into something for a while, but the loss of my 17-year-old son to a car accident last summer is what prompted me to seriously seek out a work-out program.

I think that the first class I had with you was on a Saturday morning. During part of the workout, you turned the music up and encouraged us to close our eyes. When I did that, I was able to tune out the world and focus on some intense feelings. I remember that I had to put my head down because tears were streaming down my cheeks. I've been able to do that at almost every class and it's been so helpful to focus on a feeling, be it anger or sadness, and ride my hardest to deal with it.

Not only did you teach me that, but you have always been extremely friendly and encouraging. Since then, I have always looked forward to your classes and it's been an extra bonus when you've subbed on Wednesday nights. That always cheered me up, especially at the end of some particularly hard days. Thank you for that!

I don't know how long you've been in the Saline area, but my son's name was Hayden Smith and he was amazing. We still don't have many answers as to what caused him to cross the center line which caused his crash on Wagner Rd., which makes the loss even more devastating. He was able to be an organ donor though, for which we are grateful. Something else we are also grateful for is that he was a believer in Jesus Christ and is in the presence of the Lord this very moment. Since we are believers too, we look forward to the day we will see him again. I don't know what your religious beliefs are, but I have included a Gospel tract for you to consider. I have made that my mission for whenever I tell Hayden's story to share with others how I am getting through this difficult time. It is only by the grace and strength of God.

Update to this: I had class on Memorial Day and Sharon wrote me a note back. It was very nice (I will have to bring it in to share). I was not expecting that! It made my morning!