Chew on It – Love Story
Founder, Richard Chew
It was nice to hear from some members that they’ve missed my ramblings here. I have been undisciplined in writing the newsletter lately, as I’ve been focused on finishing my autobiography. It’s in the final stages, and the plan is to have it published later this year.
My life has been way too interesting. I used to wish for interesting times, but now I work on keeping life simple. Perhaps this is the period of my life where I am most content, and I have fortunately achieved nearly all my goals. It is also a stage where friends leaving this world is not uncommon.
I recently went to visit an old friend in the hospital, Robbie Love. I first met Robbie back in the aerobics world in the 1980s. He was a very popular instructor at City Gym, one of the pioneers in teaching aerobics to music. City Gym was the pinnacle of aerobics clubs in the early ’80s.
Robbie was also a world-class gymnast. He was selected to represent South Africa at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, but unfortunately, South Africa was banned from competing that year due to apartheid.
Robbie migrated to Sydney in the late 1960s. He began working with me in 1983 at Healthland Gyms in Bondi Junction and Maroubra, teaching aerobics classes and kids’ gymnastics.
When I opened Elixr at Bondi Junction in 2005, Robbie (at the robust age of 61) started working with me again. He was Elixr’s facility manager until he retired at 71.
Sadly, my recent visit to Robbie was to say farewell. He was in palliative care at Mona Vale Hospital. The hospital’s small buildings were spread out across a large area, and I had to ask a nurse for directions to the palliative care building.
“It’s the building at the end of the road,” she said. It seemed appropriate. As I walked into Robbie’s room, many of his family and friends were sitting around him. His eyes widened when he saw me.
“Jesus!” he said. “No, it’s Richard Chew.”
During my visit, his wife Sue gave him a bottle of beer and told me it was non-alcoholic. I replied that it probably didn’t matter at this stage. Robbie was doped up on morphine and kept dozing off. His friend commented that he wasn’t able to get some for himself.
“In time you will,” I said.
It was wonderful and sad to see my dear friend. I had tears in my eyes as I hugged him. Robbie made such a positive impact on many people’s lives as an aerobics instructor, gymnastics teacher, and then as a jive dance instructor with his wife when he was in his 70s. More importantly, Robbie was a delightful human being, known for his kindness and generosity.
I visited Robbie again on July 3. It was obvious his time was very close. Sadly, Robbie passed away the next morning.
As I age, I am acutely aware of our limited and unpredictable time left in this world. My goal now is to seek and share joy and pleasure with people I care about, particularly when it comes to food and travel. Through many adversities and tragedies, I’ve become more compassionate and understanding. I am also far more open with my feelings, telling my loved ones how much I love and appreciate them.
In our culture, crying in front of people is sometimes considered weak or inappropriate. But shedding tears is a healthy response to a number of emotions, including joy or pain. It needs to be expressed, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with showing your vulnerability. In fact, it is brave and liberating.
Crying due to grief helps to self-soothe and releases pain. Crying due to stress releases hormones that relax you.
Laughter is just as important. It also activates the anti-stress response. Fortunately, laughter is universally accepted and appreciated. Unfortunately, many people’s sense of humor is limited as they take themselves too seriously.
Humor can be found in all circumstances, even tragic ones.
