Q: Mermaid
PAX: Voodoo, slappy, Honeydew, Crawlspace, Anchorman, Stitch, Mermaid
FNGs: None
COUNT: 7
WARMUP:
Simple SSH, Cherry pickers, Twisty’s, stretching
THE THANG:
Mosey to the Church, and at the church begin the no glove love leg day workout. After one round, abort and use the dice to determine the workout. Working the four corners of the parking lot, and rolling in every corner. Pausing at the pillars to do lunges, and wall squats each round.
MARY:
none
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Convergence Saturday at the Cove
COT:
“I’ve never felt a region’s love like yours, even in my home region.” Maxime NE Sector Chief Pittsburg
Many of you were able to meet Maxime during the GTE. He drove here from Pittsburg, and proclaimed that this GTE was either #1 or #2 of the hardest GTE’s in which he has participated. He then did another GTE the very next weekend, and maybe another since. He has currently completed 10, that is exactly 10 more than I have attempted!
You may be wondering why I am talking about Maxime, and his quote above. One of the things I am learning about is asking for help. I am stubborn, I am a guy, I think I can outwork all of my problems, and let me tell you, that has proven to be untrue. F3 has been great for me in this regard, the men in this region in particular have been willing to be vulnerable, and ask for help when we need it, and that has encouraged me to follow that lead. On the F3 Nation Slack, there is a specific channel for Nantan’s, and we can network with one another and seek direction on how to do the job. This week, I posed a question to the group seeking council on how to handle an F3 problem. I received wise council, encouragement, and helpful advice. Maxime Dm’ed me directly and we conversed about the problem. He ended with the kind words about our region, and about you guys. This vulnerability that we exhibit stands out, and I think offers real growth. When we can let our guard down, and ask for help, I think real change occurs.
Two weeks ago, I had a coworker stopped and arrested for his 2nd DUI in the last three years. I was on vacation, and received the terrible news about 10PM on Wednesday night July 3rd. I drove home the following Saturday, and this man and his wife were waiting for me in my driveway so that we could discuss the incident and what happens with his job moving forward. Time will tell, there were no promises about a return to work, only a conversation about how he can heal, and restore the problems that he has created with his family, friends, etc. The theme of our conversation was him admitting that he has a problem and that he needs help. He has finally admitted that he can’t conquer this battle alone. This is a battle that he has been fighting for about 7 years, and this is the first time that I think he has a chance to overcome his addiction.
It took him being arrested for a second time to realize that he couldn’t do it alone, and I am thankful for F3 for helping me realize that I can’t tackle my problems alone. Sometimes we have to hit rock bottom to realize that problems exist, and the two times in my life that I have found myself in that pit of despair, I realized that I really wasn’t alone. It was in these moments that I have been closest in my relationship with God, and my coworker is having the same epiphany. I don’t believe that God wants bad things to happen to us, I think he wants to have a relationship with us, and some times we as men can be so dense that is takes a rock bottom experience to get our attention. A group like F3 may prevent us from bottoming out, this group may just provide a safe place to express our weaknesses, and it is in this group that I can share my deficiencies with no judgement, and seek real wisdom from men who have already walked a mile in those proverbial shoes. Men having an outlet for their vulnerabilities is what Maxime sees in our region, it is why he sees the love that we openly share for one another.