She has the wrong name

Nothing scared me more about starting 20/20 than knowing I had to work with a trainer. How could I face this person who would know exactly how out of shape I was? How weak and just how sedentary I had gotten. There is just no faking fitness, not with someone you will be with 3 times a week for 20 weeks (then twice a week for another 12 weeks).

I requested a female trainer, someone I could connect with. All of the trainers at ProClub are college educated and really talented, I am sure they all have strengths, but I got the best one of all.

Early on, I began calling her She, because it seemed like that was what a trainer did- She called out stuff and I did it. She had to be obeyed.

But as time has passed, and I have come to admire the way She works. She isn't mean. Not bossy. Not even a little bit.

Dang! The ultimate Blog Foul: a mis-naming of a primary character.

I've been thinking about this post for several weeks now, I was worried the Eagle Guru would think She was a softie or not pushing me hard enough if I admitted that her intimidating nickname just didn't fit. And trust me, she pushes hard enough, she just does it nicely.

Sigh.

So what do I call her? I thought about it, and initially Tinkerbell came to mind. Oh, stop it- I don't mean the modern "Tink" who is airbrushed and appears on tacky tee shirts, looking more like a wee blond vixen than a feisty sidekick. Could she be Tinkerbell? I went to Wickipidia for more information.

"Though sometimes ill-tempered, spoiled, and very jealous and vindictive (getting the Lost Boys to shoot arrows at Wendy),[6] at other times she is helpful and kind to Peter."

The article goes on to explain that because she is so small, Tinkerbell can only feel one emotion at a time. Okay, never mind. Even if She is cute and spunky, this ill-tempered stuff just doesn't fit.

Back to the drawing board.

The other day I got my daughter a Peanuts tee shirt, it had Snoopy on it with about a dozen Woodstocks flying around him. And it dawned on me- Woodstock. It's like how the gym has dozens of trainers, but only one Erin.... Off to Wickipidia I went to make sure Woodstock didn't have any passive aggressive tendencies (like Tink). I found some facts that confirmed that this was the right name.

First of all, it took Charles Schultz 3 years to name Woodstock. We're off to a good start, since She wasn't much of a name.

Second, I bet you didn't know that Woodstock was originally a She in the cartoon, how 'punny' is that?

Third- it's kinda funny how sometimes there are lots of Woodstock type birds that come and go around Snoopy, sort of like the many trainers at ProClub. There are a lot, but only ONE Woodstock.

Above all, he's a support to Snoopy, accompanying him on a number of adventures. He's adorable and spunky and clever and I just think he's the perfect parallel to Erin. Like Charles Schultz and Woodstock maybe I didn't know quite what to do with her at first, or to name her, but ultimately she's a big reason this journey is so special.