Leslie Hitchcock
Bodywise Center for Wellbeing
In early March 2020, I wrapped up teaching a Pilates session and returned to my car. As is my habit, I tuned in to listen to NPR. Some moments stick with us: the birth of a child, the news of a great tragedy. One of my many frozen-in-time coronavirus pandemic moments was that morning's announcement that the NBA was cancelling its season. As you recall, it was a fast slide downward from there: sports, schools, communities… all closed.
By the next week, my practice—Bodywise Center for Wellbeing—closed down for four long months. My son, Callum, and I made a decision to hike every day that it was closed—having no idea that it would be 16 weeks. Some days were filled with tears... feelings of being trapped... like this was never ending and truly was the apocalypse. In retrospect, as my son was only 5-years-old at the time, daily hikes proved to be a bit too much for both of us. The weeks of hiking we accomplished, however, will always be etched into a happy place in my heart, giving me frozen-in-time moments of a more positive variety. As many of you probably experienced, the shut-downs took much—but gave the gift of time. This unique experience allowed us to value each moment in a different and much deeper way.
As a massage therapist, I felt stuck, helpless. There were bodies in pain to treat, but they were out of reach. The Pilates portion of Bodywise continued on with occasional Zoom classes. Those virtual meetings were enough to touch base with students and keep up my teaching skills, but certainly not enough to survive. Government unemployment was late in coming to small business owners, and the delay left many of us drained and barely hanging on. Overhead costs still needed to be paid even though revenue had all but disappeared. Fortunately, relief finally did come just in time for Bodywise—and I pressed on.
With faith that we would recover from this pandemic, and with spirits lifted by creative resourcefulness, two women named Leslie (myself and Leslie Gilbert of Leslie Gilbert Photography) signed a lease for a 2,700 square foot space for our businesses to share at 30 N. Queen Street in downtown Lancaster. We feel like the story of our businesses facing this global pandemic is that of a phoenix rising from the ashes. Many of my original Pilates students and massage clients have returned, and new post-pandemic clients have come along, as well. I am keenly aware that ours is one of the lucky success stories. I am grateful for each day of managing my business and helping people—and I look forward to a summer of frozen-in-time moments of joy as businesses and families return to life.
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Bodywise Center for Wellbeing
30 N. Queen Street
Lancaster, PA 17603
(717) 286-8288
