Personal Narrative Essay: Miami Beach, Florida

Miami Beach, Florida

Miami is one of my favorite cities in America. One of the reasons is because it closer resembles a Latin American than an American city. Thanks to its proximity to Latin America, it’s actually more common to hear Spanish and Portuguese spoken on the streets than English. The best part: it’s in the US, so I don’t need to worry about getting in trouble with immigration authorities if my tourist visa expired.

My life in Miami was simple and carefree. I worked a couple of hours in the morning and went to the gym in the afternoon. Then, if I had time, I would go for a quick dip in the ocean in the evening.

“Do you mind helping me with a spot?” I looked around and asked one of the bigger guys around me as I loaded up the barbell

I don’t go every day, but about three, maybe four times per week.”

“I do the same. There’s really no need to go much more. There’s a high chance of you burning yourself out,” Alberto agreed.

I sat down at a bench, grabbed two dumbbells and began doing shoulder presses.

Alberto followed me and began working on his biceps. After he finished, he helped me on the last few reps.

Thirty minutes later I had finished my workout. I looked for Alberto and finally spotted him doing dips. I knew it was the last exercise of his workout.

“You know, we seem to be pretty committed to working out, but I also know there are plenty of guys who are seeking motivation. It’s like they need the extra push to get to the gym,” I started saying, curious of Alberto’s thoughts on the guys who weren’t as committed as we were.

“Yeah, I know what you’re saying. Motivation is a big deal these days. I have friends that need an extra push. There’re plenty of communities that are motivating guys to work out,” he replied.

I was no stranger to these communities. When I was younger, I used to frequent an online forum where people motivated each other by posting status reports of their workouts. They also discussed their objectives and