Do you know who Chuck Rapoport is? Here's a link to his website and you could spend hours and hours just looking through Chuck's beautiful work, he's captured a good bit of what's great about our culture and it's there, for all to enjoy, on his website. Here's the link: http://www.rapo.com/icrgallery/gallery_frames.htm
Chuck is one of those lucky people who got to spend time with Joe Pilates. We all know that Ron, Lolita, Mary, Kathy and Romana all spent time with Joe & Clara but there are so many others who also had the privilege. In Chuck's case, spending time with Joe was even more special because Chuck got all of one day with Joe. Just one day. But what a day it was.
Chuck is the famous photographer who was sent out by Sports Illustrated to shoot a story about Joe & Clara's studio and not only did his pictures of the studio run wth the 1961 article, Chuck has also put together a collector's item of a book featuring every single picture he took that day. I bought one a few years ago and it is one of my prized possessions. I treasure it just as much as the original marketing materials that I have from Joe & Clara's studio.
Chuck is an important legacy-holder in our industry, he saw Joe toward the end of Joe's life and as a non-Pilates person he had a fresh perspective on who Joe was and how Joe operated. Chuck went through tremendous hell just to reclaim his rights to his own photographs of Joe and for that and for so many other wonderful reasons he's invaluable to our industry. Bonus: Chuck is a dear sweet soul!
If you ever ever have a chance to meet Chuck, just shut up and wait patiently in what will undoubtedly be a very long line, get out your credit card and buy that book and whatever else Chuck is selling. Chuck is great. His book is great. Joe is great. Joe is in Chuck's book. You're great!
I first met Chuck at a Pilates Style conference in New York a few years ago. He and his lovely wife were at a booth in the expo hall, signing posters and selling those beautiful photograph books. He was at the PMA conference in November down in Phoenix and I was honored that he attended my workshop at PMA. We had about 20 minutes at the end of my workshop where everyone could come up to the front of the room and take a look at my historical materials, visit, make connections and hug and kiss.
During that "cocktail hour without the cocktails," Chuck told us this Joe story.
Together in Joe's studio that fateful day, Joe was trying to explain to Chuck the concept of illness prevention, of whole body health and wellness - what a grand notion! Chuck said nobody at that time had a clue about any of that stuff. After trying to talk about it a couple of different ways, Joe told the following story. I'm paraphrasing, of course.
Imagine you've got 30 Police cars in your body and they're standing by, ready to be dispatched and deal with any trouble that might come up.
Let's say your elbow hurts. Three Police cars are sent to heal the elbow. Now you've got 27 Police cars standing by.
Let's say your knee hurts. Three more Police cars are sent to heal the knee. Now you've got 24 Police cars standing by.
Now your back hurts. Five Police cars are sent to heal the back. Now you've got 19 Police cars standing by.
If you fall off the roof, you're dead because you don't have enough Police cars, nobody has enough Police cars for falling off the roof.
If your elbow, your knee and your back keep hurting, Police cars will keep responding and you won't have enough Police cars on standby to handle something big, something less big than falling off the roof but something bigger than your chronic elbow, your chronic knee or your chronic back pain.
Joe's premise was brilliant. His Police car analogy seems simple to us now since we all understand the concept of prevention and wellness but Joe was a pioneer in turning the tide. Like a super hero, Joe helped overcome the ignorance of the general public about how bodies work, how they heal, how they thrive.
Joe's Police car story has become a brand new custom in my studio and we use it all the time to help clients realize the value of a well-performed exercise, a thoughtful session, a disciplined practice. Heidi said even her 4 year old daughter Liliana understood the meaning of the Police car story.
If you do Pilates well and often, all your Police cars will be on standby. That was Joe's promise and that is our goal.
And, when Chuck talked to John Steel, Joe & Clara's attorney who was also at the conference about the Police car story and asking if he'd ever heard Joe tell it, John said that he had only with one slight change - Joe used Fire Engines instead.
I find this charming, in some sort of sweet and careful way. In a perfect world, we trust Police officers, we feel relieved when we see their cars speeding off to fight crime or render assistance and we know we can count on Officers to help us when we need it. I wonder if Joe tried to engender feelings of trust and confidence in his method by using such a universally respected icon in the telling of his story.
I have massive love and respect for Chuck on general principles but also for continuing to teach all who will listen about his day with Joe - he could easily stay home in beautiful California with his beautiful wife and live his beautiful life. We are so very lucky.
Here's hoping all your Police cars and Fire Engines are standing by. God bless!
