This post is all about being thankful to an amazing human being and now a great friend. When I moved to Houston and knew no one I had a lot of time on my hands. Time that I spent alone in my apartment. What else would I do? I knew no one in the 4th largest (population wise) city in the US, absolutely no one. Well, I knew two people from work and the people from the apartment’s leasing office however I am sure, howsoever sweet they are, they did not want to hang out with me, grab lunch/dinner, have a lengthy conversation or go for a walk. Things were extremely different from my life in India. There, apart from having the luxury of having a full time maid and a cook, I had friends, went to tennis class over the weekends, organized board games or video games nights at my apartment on the 19th floor which had a great sit out area and the breeze was phenomenal and would go out a lot whether it was a night out dancing, motorbike rides, checking out new bars/restaurants or attending a ton of house parties. I am an extremely active person. My mom gets annoyed sometimes because I am always moving around while talking to her even if it means just hopping and skipping back and forth or shadow practicing that perfect square cut (it is a cricket shot : for my American friends). So, life in Houston was tough. I explored as much as I could by walking through the tunnels in downtown and on Main Street and going to Discovery Green (that park is an integral part of my life) but it was nothing in comparison to what I missed. Time makes you think a lot especially if you are virtually trapped in an apartment and all the people you know are sleeping because of the time zone difference. It was about then that I decided to focus and invest in myself and my fitness.

Since I had nothing else to turn to, I researched the internet. Soon enough I had installed an app on my phone which would let you post a request/requirement for a service and professionals would respond to it with quotes and you could read their reviews and choose which one to hire. I put up a request for a swimming coach (it was one of my, 2017, three new skills that I try and teach myself every year – and yes I do not know how to swim) and for a personal trainer. No one responded to the swim lessons request however I received 5 quotes from personal trainers. The second one from a certain CJ Finley. I responded to him and we decided to meet in the evening for a chat. When I met him in the business lounge of the apartment I had already read all the reviews from his other clients and they only had great things to say about this guy. I was prepared with some questions and was nervous as I had never really worked out with an instructor before. CJ came across as an extremely friendly person but the one thing I distinctly remember from that conversation was him mentioning that he met me to understand what my goals were and whether we were the right fit for each other. It was not about the money. It was about helping someone – another human being. Who says that in today’s world? Especially in a world where most of us are trying to mint a few more greenbacks. That was the moment when Tj hired CJ and vice-versa 😀

 I will not go into the excruciating details of how he helped me train or how I almost passed out twice in the gym during morning sessions but will definitely say that CJ was not only my trainer after the first 6 months that we knew each other but we also became best friends. He is someone who really invests in getting to know you and your personal goals. I met Erin, his lovely fiancée, at the Chainsmokers concert that we all went to together during the Houston Rodeo (it was my first rodeo) and we started going out for dinners together and having discussions where mostly CJ would not be the one I sided with.

Once, I had an ankle injury during a soccer game and he never pushed me to train or take my sessions within the scheduled time period. So, he is a professional but doesn’t just live by the rule book. Having said all of this, CJ, is extremely professional and punctual. During the course of knowing them both, I lost 12 pounds and gained two great friends and truckloads of confidence. Quantitative results; if you care for them 😉

We also ran a successful fundraiser for the Hurricane Harvey victims raising around $1,300 in 4 days during the hurricane that tried but couldn’t subdue the spirit of Houston.

CJ and Erin moved to Austin about 7-8 months back and on one of his trips to Austin during the move the both of us packed his car with all his stuff (so much stuff that we could not use the rear view mirror or fit another needle in the car) and turned it into an impromptu fun road trip. We are weird like that. Later this year my friend will marry Erin and I am so happy for them. Even though, I do not get to see them as much as I would like to I am extremely thankful that our journey through the meandering bylanes of life made us friends. I completely believe that life is all about the wonderful people you get to meet and interact with and CJ is a perfect ambassador of how to not just live but thrive 🙂

P.S. We need to make those crazy dance moves video I showed you the other day