mohaus: It's So Hard to Say Goodbye

I have been a member of the Y since 2005 when we lived in Charlotte. In CLT, my workouts were lunch breaks and I was very focused on getting in and back to work in an allotted amount of time.

Since moving to the Chattanooga area seven years, the Y became an unexpected place of friendship. While I navigated those early years of motherhood, I would diligently go to the Y and stay afterward to let my kids play at the playground there.

In those workouts and play times, I chose to put my phone away and be vulnerable and make friends with other moms who were doing the same thing. I have to tell you, I have made friends with some of the very best people over the years. And over the years, some of these families have moved away.

Today was a last workout with one of these families. We are happy for them but sad for us. We have had so many memories together at the Y that have morphed into homeschooling side by side.

When we first met, we tentatively got acquainted through workouts and on the playground at the Y. Since we were obviously all homeschooling we settled into conversation about how it was going and what methods we were using.

Eventually our family ended up joining their family's homeschool co-op (we didn't realize it at first!). Co-op meant weekly meet ups outside of the Y. Which led to field trips and weekly hikes.

Due to Covid at the end of March of 2020, we took a break from real life interaction for about three months, but in June we were back at the Yworking out in the parking lot together, letting our kids play. We would bring bikes and scooters and games and the kids found ways to entertain themselves.

Once school started back up, we began meeting every Monday afternoon for playground dates with other co-op moms.

Over the last school year we have spent so many Monday afternoons freezing at parks, but it has been a lifesaver. We kept up with the weekly hikes and have had so many adventures together over the last year.