THE SCENE: 60 and clear. Perfect for a beatdown.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Administered.
WARM-O-RAMA:
- Morrocan Nightclub x 10 IC
- Chinook x 5 IC
- Cherry pickers x 7 IC
- Carolina Dry Docks x 5 IC
- E2K x 5 IC
- Hello Dolly x 5 IC
- Rosalita x 5 IC
- Twinkle Toes x 10 IC
THA THANG:
Mosey to the high-school lot…
Routine 1:
10 Wing-nuts (4 count) + 20 Derkins…. 3 Rounds
Routine 2: Heart-shaped circuit.
6 stations – each has 2 exercises. Get into groups of 3. A group starts at one of the stations. After performing both exercises, run 5/6 of a lap and stop at the station pervious to the one you just left. Each time you pass the culvert drain (the middle of the “heart”), do 3 muscle-ups on it. Continue circuit until Q calls stop.
Exercises are:
- 10 Burpees + 20 BBS
- 20 E2K Left + 20 E2K Right
- 10 squat jumps + 20 Diamond Merkins
- 20 Flutter kicks (2-count) + 20 Squats
- 30 Calf raises + 20 Carolina Dry Docks
- 20 Hello Dolly (2 count) + 20 Rosalita (2 count)
Routine 3: 7s on the steps. Burpees + Donkey kicks. Bear crawl, crawl bear.
Routine 4: Suicides on the tennis courts.
First cone and back, second cone and back, third cone and back – Mountain climbers.
Repeato with flutter kicks
Repeato with freddy mercury
Mosey back to the flag
MARY:
No time!
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Me and 5 of the best men I know
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Shakespeare’s Macbeth is about toxic ambition and rivalry for the Scottish throne. Once he becomes king, a paranoid Macbeth orders a raid on the castle of a perceived rival – Macduff – and in that raid Macduff’s entire family is killed. Macduff, who is in England during the raid, is with a companion when he receives the terrible news about his family – and he becomes silent. After a moment, his friend prompts him, “Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o’er-fraught heart and bids it break”. His friend is urging him – don’t keep this agony inside, or you will implode into despair. That is good advice – and in this season that I’m in, it registers loudly with me.
I am, by nature and nurture, someone who bottles up emotions – both good and bad – and seldom processes them externally. We modern men are doubly disadvantaged when it comes to sharing our emotions. The inner architecture of our brains is physiologically different from our curvy counterparts – MRI studies have shown that women are more capable of expressing their emotions verbally. On top of that physical handicap, our culture layers an expectation for men to be laconic and impassive – like Charlton Heston in every role he has ever played. We are free to express anger – but other emotions are effeminate and off-limits. What a shame that we promote this dysfunction.
Last time I spoke in this setting, I told you about our recent miscarriage and vowed to support my wife well through this hard time. That meant listening, praying with her and for her, and making myself available – but I also committed to sharing more of my own sadness. I can tell you, each time I do – whether it is opening up to her, or a quick word with one of you after the workout – expressing those feelings relieves the mounting pressure in my chest.
I want my three young sons (ages 4, 7, 9) to excel where I have not. I want them to have healthy strategies for talking about their emotions – because in doing so, they will be physically healthier and have richer relationships throughout their lives. Like their dad, they seem unwilling or unable to reveal much when simply asked, “how do you feel?”. Maybe they don’t want to talk about it – or maybe they don’t know how to translate their feelings into words. Just in the last few weeks, I’ve been prodding their emotions a little differently and they’ve responded. When I can get one of them alone and the moment is right, I’ll ask, “What is the happiest thing in your life right now?”. Sometimes, they’ll answer that question in full paragraphs – sharing their heart with me. Then I’ll ask, “What is the saddest thing in your life right now?” That simple change has led to expanded discussion and gives me a little glimpse of what it looks like for these young boys to express emotion.
Are you at all like me? Do you muffle your joy and sadness and excitement and disappointment? Do you even know if you do? Licensed counselor, Debbie Causey, says a sign that an emotion has been buried is when you give a “dollar response” to a “fifty-cent incident”. If the largeness of your reaction is disproportionate to the weight of the incident, you might have buried emotion. Be honest – have you overreacted lately? Explore that.
Challenge: Those who are closest to you – friends and family who love you – they deserve to know you better. They deserve to know how you feel. Pick one person who is close to you and share a little of your heart with them today or this week. If you don’t know where to start, then answer one of the questions, “What is the happiest thing in your life right now?” or “What is the saddest thing in your life right now?”
Bonus Challenge: Ask them to reciprocate with their own answers – and listen.
MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Pi’s upcoming exam. No pressure…but….HIS CAREER AND HIS FAMILY’S LIVELIHOOD DEPEND ON HIM PASSING! But, no pressure. We know you’ll do great!
Rocket – you better be doing your burpees! We missed you out there.
I know that, sadly, other HIMs have a wife who has, or will, experience a miscarriage. If you want to work through that agony with someone who can relate, DM me on Slack and we’ll get together.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
