Member of Windward YMCA Tai Chi Ohana
Eric Lee (the guy with the toe shoes) lives and works in Kaneohe. At first, he wasn’t sure about driving to Kailua to exercise at the Windward YMCA. "I came down here and almost immediately, I felt better…They [the Windward YMCA staff] are so awesome here—the spiritual part. I see them caring for older people, how they welcome older people."
This was the place he needed to be, so he signed up less than a year ago and joined tai chi, yoga, pilates, and kickboxing conditioning. He’s currently recovering from tendonitis of the elbow caused by hitting the punching bag too hard. Fortunately, he can still play ukulele in Kumu Walt Keale’s class at Daybreak Church.
From small kid time, Eric was a no-sit-down guy. Surfing, stand-up paddleboarding, tae kwon do, aikido, and swimming are just some of the ways he kept busy.
He also liked helping people and making connections, which is why he made the time to stop and listen for ten years in his job as mental health counselor. The homeless in Waikiki Health Center’s Caravan healthcare program taught him:
"It’s all about relationships…If they don’t think you care, they’re not going to talk to you."
He helped a lot of people and applied his master's degree in psychology. But when that phase ended, he worked in credit bureau sales, which was not as fulfilling, and then the aquarium trade, diving for feather duster worms and yellow tangs.
Then, one day a friend proposed working together on their own carpet cleaning business. "Blue-collar people are so nice and helpful. I said, ‘I want to be like you guys.’ So they helped me go on my own. Going door to door, just struggling in the beginning, but I really enjoy it," Eric said. His business, Healthy Carpet, cleans all types of flooring surfaces, not just carpet. It has the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, and after ten years, Eric earned Master Textile Cleaner designation—the highest educational designation in the industry, which must be maintained with regular classes. He recommends nylon fiber carpets for their softness and resilience to wear and avoid olefin fiber Berber carpets because they can still feel oily after cleaning, actually attracting skin oils from your feet.
Eric credits God and his family for helping him weather tough mental and emotional issues over the years, nothing else worked. The Windward YMCA folks also offered him welcome, a place to be active, and socialization if he chose to or not. In appreciation, he is refurbishing and donating a Kirby vacuum for the weight room.
He is a proud father of two sons, one a mechanic at Pearl Harbor, and the other a radiology technology student at Kapiolani Community College. Eric and his wife are expecting their first grandchild in 2020.