Dimas Mejia showed me how to express true thankfulness during a pre-Thanksgiving workout along South Shore Park.
Dimas Mejia extends himself along South Shore Park. Photo by Tom Held.
At 55, he bikes along the lakefront, does sit ups and back extensions on the workout stations along the Oak Leaf Trail, swims in Pulaski Pool, avoids the doctor and relishes his blessings. Mejia says he moved from Puerto Rico 23 years ago, during the first Persian Gulf War, when he had no job and sold all of his possessions to start over. He found work in Milwaukee, a place to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family; and a place to exercise with a grateful attitude.
The Thanksgiving Holiday offers a bunch of opportunities to follow Mejia’s spirit and show thanks through Active Pursuits: the Drumstick Dash at State Fair Park benefits Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Amber’s Wild Workouts and Wellness hosts a 2-mile, 5K and 8K outing to collect food for the Bay View Community Center and Andrea Hoeschen will lead a fun run from the Stone Creek in Bay View, 2266 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., to collect donations for the Hunger Task Force and the American Red Cross. The Wild Run starts at 9 a.m. at the studio, 2469 S. KK., and the Hoeschen group will hit the road at 8:30 a.m.
