THIS VERY MOMENT. CURLY SHIRLEY CATTON: HIGH ON LIFE

THIS MORNING, I WENT ON A WALK WITH SHIRLEY CATTON THROUGH PROSPECT PARK. I WOULDN’T CALL IT A WALK, EXACTLY, IT WAS MORE OF AN EXPERIENCE, A HAPPENING—MAYBE EVEN A JOURNEY. IN 2021, AFTER ALL WE’VE BEEN THROUGH, IT FELT LIKE FREEDOM.

Let me backtrack. “Curly Shirley,” as she is known, is a character like no other. She jokes that her hair, blonde and corkscrewed, has its own zip code; her followers know it is only part of her charm. Her outfits are bright and sunny, like her smile. Her energy is contagious. Her sincerity is real, and deep.

In the summer I had seen Shirley leading a group of women across the beach on the Jersey Shore. Each girl had a headset, and skip in her step. Though I couldn’t hear the music, I could feel the joy they were experiencing. She calls the workout, “High on Life.” I wanted to know more.

Shirley had been a fitness instructor teaching Zumba and Barre for many years, but in November 2018, a full year before we’d ever heard the word Covid, she decided to take a break. Her body spent, her mind tired, she took the time for herself. She would bring her headphones to the park and explore, understanding that sometimes you have to get lost to be found. She took different paths, just feeling the sounds and beats of her music, and sometimes she just couldn’t help but dance. A teacher at heart, she thought, what if I brought people here to walk and dance with me? Would they enjoy it as much as I do?

Shirley was hesitant. She was on the threshold of a brand-new concept, and it was scary to think about starting over, but she saw the fall leaves changing color and knew it was now or never. On her birthday in November 2019, she sent a text out to her students, “This is only happening once. Meet me in the park to do something weird. Come on time, and make sure you are hands-free. We start at 9:30 am.”

About twenty girls showed up for that first class in Prospect Park. Shirley had a giant speaker in her mesh backpack and 586 acres of park to discover. She recalls, “The park has such great energy; there are so many different paths and tunnels and the music echoes in such a cool way in those spaces! I became a staple there, in my neon yellow jacket, and the park regulars would cheer us on as we came by, jumping, moving and grooving right along with us.”

For the first few months, life was normal, and the class built up a nice momentum. Even as we started hearing about Coronavirus, Shirley continued to teach because outside, they were safe in nature. Of course, in March 2020, the virus creeped into every crevice of our lives. We hoarded Lysol and toilet paper and even meat, and both indoor and outdoor activities quickly screeched to a halt. Shirley recalls, “We had been through so much anguish in those spring months. But by the time summer came around and we started getting out again, I came back to teaching in a unique position. My class was already outside. No one wanted to be indoors, and I was prepared. I can’t help but think that Hashem prepared me.”

A Mind Body Dance

During her year to herself Shirley explored more than the park. She merged body and soul, meditated, and concentrated on her breathing and mental health, incorporating all of it into her High on Life Experience. “I learned something: It’s not about the grind—it’s not about how high you can jump or how low you can squat—those are the attitudes that wear us down. Life is too hard to worry about that. Nature is huge. The scenery is always new, and the backdrop always changing; there’s always something fresh to see. It’s so much more than just a workout.”
When summer came, Shirley switched from her giant speaker to silent disco headphones so as not to disturb the peace in New Jersey, but that in itself added another element. She explains, “The headphones create a less chatty atmosphere. You’re in your head, but with people. You’re alone, but together. It’s you and the music. There’s no front row. We move together, engaging in nature. There are no mirrors, and no one to impress. It’s grounding, and yet it’s also always shifting and moving. It’s free from stress; a time to just let go, and be.”

Being Alive

Shirley takes her students barefoot on the beach, running through the rain, and rambling under the golden sunset. As we trekked through fresh snow last week in Manhattan Beach, one of the girls said, “If you told me a year ago I’d be outside working out in 20 degrees, I would have laughed at you. Today, I’m not even thinking about the cold.” We’ve grown a thicker skin this year, and all this positivity is priceless in the era of Corona. Shirley chooses her music carefully, infusing thoughts about gratitude, choosing life, and staying focused in the present. She plays a Hebrew song called, Rak Hayom, (Just Today). Another favorite is, “I Feel Human,” and another is, “Brand New,” encouraging us to fly through an open field like the birds overhead. Picture twenty girls with their arms out, taking flight. I kid you not—this is liberty.
Shirley explains, “We don’t pay enough attention to our anxieties, worries, stress, uncertainties, each of us is like a big balloon that needs some air let out, before it bursts. We need to breathe and to feel our breath. I am offering this hour, not only to exercise, but to release.”

High on Life could not have come at a better time. There’s a doorway out of this nightmare but it only exists in our minds. Blending fitness, nature and happiness, Shirley “thinks in lyrics and moves through song.” Through music, laughter and spontaneity she opens us up to gain a deeper appreciation for the simple things. “We can all do better than taking pictures with our phones,” she says, “Blink, fast. Take a snapshot through your mind’s eye. Hold onto this moment, this one glorious breath. Savor it.”

2020 was impossible, heartbreaking, cold and unforgiving, but it also filled us up with so much love for the things we did have—home, family, nature, faith. We often ask, why? What is the message? Maybe, as we developed an unparalleled appreciation for the quiet joy, the unbridled laughter, and spent many, many days, weeks and months embracing each other in every way we could, we learned to live with less, and found satisfaction within ourselves. Shirley Catton, through High on Life, taps into the fact that we need to let go. Most people want to be in control, but now we cannot. We need to trust in Hashem. We need freedom from worry. Everything is as it should be. We watch the news. We read the paper. We understand clearly now that we know nothing. Let go. We don’t know how this story will end, but eventually we will see it all with great clarity. Maybe, High on Life is just a fitness class, or maybe it is more.

After dancing, running, jumping and walking through the park with Shirley I am truly spent, in a good way. I’m feeling alive, tired and energized all at once. I have been to Shirley’s class in the studio, but I think the space was never big enough to contain her spirit. The sky is the limit with her, and she has taken her experience all over, from lakes to beaches, to Central Park and hopefully soon, over the Brooklyn Bridge. You never know where you’re going to be or what it’s going to look like. When you don’t know where life is going to take you, you just need to keep moving.

Find #HighOnLife @curlyshirleycatton on Instagram

Sophia Franco, 53, is a mom and grandmother who has been feeding her love of reading and writing for as long as she can remember through poetry, community journalism, and songwriting. She has written many songs with Yaakov Shwekey but the first, I Can Be, has become an anthem for the Special Children’s Center and the community at large.

SOPHIA FRANCO
Photos by RENEE MENASHE