F3 Knoxville

Tag: Thunderstruck

Cards Around Asylum

THE SCENE: Hot (89F), sunny afternoon, a few clouds in the sky, slight breeze.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Side-straddle Hop (20 4 ct), 8 4 ct. windmills (slow, stretch), 10 4 ct. baby arm circles (forward & backwards each), Michael Phelps, & Merkins (10 4 ct.).

THA-THANG:

After a mosey down to the greenway, the group made their way around the park by drawing cards. Number cards indicated how many lights to run and and how many of the exercise we would do when we arrived at the light. If the card drawn is a face card, the PAX would immediately do 10 of an exercise as follows: King – Merkins, Queen – Squats, Jack – Big Boys. If the card drawn was a one eyed Jack or the Queen of Spades then everyone did 10 Burpees. Otherwise, the suit dictated what kind of exercise we would do as follows:

  • Spades – arm exercise
  • Hearts – leg exercise
  • Diamonds – Core exercise
  • Clubs – Cardio exercise

The card drawer chooses the specific exercise to do once we reached the designated light.

MARY:
Arrived to the AO with no time remaining.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Welcome to Pop-a-Top (Jeremy) who showed up looking for an evening workout!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. F3 is continues because it is a great system. Let’s all (definitely including me in this) invest to make the system work well.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
New AO starts in Seymour this Saturday.

No Flame Blower Outers Here

THE SCENE: ‘Bout 88 and breezy
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER done
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH, rockettes, this and that, runners stretch, and cherry pickers
THA-THANG:
Insert information about the workout.

  • Take all CMUs down 2 flights of stairs, 20 8 ct Spiders, CMU curls until the 6.
  • Bring CMUs up one flight, Run to road; 50 V Sit OH Claps, Run to trees; 50 kneel ups, Return to center, CMU curls until the 6.
  • Bring CMUs to the top and take them to the Bowl
  • Battle Buddy: one runs around the bench; the other Rows, OH Press, squats
  • Change Battle Buddy: one walks the CMU, the other does 20 Squats, run, catch, switch, repeat
  • In the Pit, 360 Merkins (L and R) return CMUs to Flag

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
12 Fake Gloomers
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Adapted from Brene Brown’s “Atlas of the Heart” Chapter 2.

Schadenfreude is a compound of the German words “schaden” meaning harm and “freude” meaning joy.  Schadenfreude simply means, “pleasure or joy derived from someone else’s suffering or misfortune”.  And the world is full of it these days.

Schadenfreude is an emotion typically born out of inferiority rather than superiority.  It is also born out of fear, powerlessness, and a sense of deservedness.  Schadenfreude involves counter empathy, where our emotional reaction is incongruent with another person’s emotional experience.

While schadenfreude may be fun to say, it’s a tough emotion.  There’s a cruelty and insecurity about it.  Taking pleasure in someone else’s failings, even if that person is someone we really dislike, can violate our values and lead to feelings of guilt and shame.

When we feel schadenfreude, it shuts down the area of our brain we use when feeling empathy and lights up areas of the brain that make us feel good and entices us to engage in similar behaviors in the future.  Schadenfreude is especially seductive when we are sucked into groupthink.

It’s easy to build counterfeit connection with collective schadenfreude.  When we see someone who we don’t like, disagree with, or is outside of our group stumble, fall, or fail, it’s tempting to celebrate that suffering together and to stir up collective emotion.  That kind of bonding might feel good for a moment, but nothing that celebrates the humiliation or pain of another person builds lasting connection.

We often don’t talk about our schadenfreude because it can make us feel shame or guilt.  This came up a lot during the pandemic when vaccinated people struggled with feelings of schadenfreude towards anti-VAX folks who were diagnosed with COVID.

From the book:  I remember thinking one day, “It this who I want to be?  Someone who celebrates people getting sick or dying?”  I would justify it by saying they were threatening my health and the health of the people I love. In the end I couldn’t make it work with my values.  I mean, I’m still angry, but without a viable accountability strategy, it’s hard not to let schadenfreude take over.

Freuden-freude is the opposite of schadenfreude.  It’s the enjoyment of another’s success.  When others report success to us, they generally hope for an empathic response of shared joy.  Which is freuden-freude.

If instead they get a negative, competitive reaction, they may respond with confusion, disappointment, irritation, or all three.  Ongoing lack of freuden-freude can eventually pose a fatal challenge to a relationship, and in turn, repeated relationship failures often produce depression.  We suspect that depressed folks might exhibit deficiencies in freuden-freude.

Brown concludes with…In teaching our kids how to cultivate meaningful connection with the people in their lives, we’ve always told them that good friends are not afraid of your light and never blow out your flame.  And you don’t blow out their flame.  Even when their flame is really bright and it makes you worry about your own flame.

When something good happens to you, they celebrate your flame.  When something good happens to them, you celebrate their flame.

We always have our kids hold out there hands, palms flat, and say “If this is your flame and the wind picks up, good friends cups their hands around your flame to keep it from going out.  And you do the same for them.”

We have always said, “No flame blower outers” and that’s our way of saying less schadenfreude and more freuden-freude.

What does this mean for the men of F3?

  • Look anywhere in the world right now and you will see people deriving joy from other’s failures or misfortune.
  • Schadenfreude can make you feel good and really get stirred up in groups of like-minded individuals…and we are a group…so we have to watch ourselves.
  • Because it’s an emotion that rewards the brain, we need an accountability strategy to be sure it doesn’t take over. We need to be that accountability for one another.
  • As leaders in our community, we need to ensure we are protecting and celebrating everyone’s flame. Remember, “no flame blower outers here”.
  • And if we are being good leaders, we will take joy in seeing other’s flames shine even brighter.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
We have Goober in our thoughts and prayers.

Wondering Where The Lions Are

THE SCENE: Sunny and warm, temp in low eighties.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

THA-THANG:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Burpees, 10 Twisties, 10 Rockettes, 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Little Baby to Big Wide Arm Circles Forward and 10 Backward

We will mosey past the stop sign at the northeast corner of the Admin Bldg and go to the grassy area by the perimeter trail.  We will do 20 Flutter Kicks in the grass.  Next, will run west on the perimeter trail, stopping every ten lights to do ten of each of the following exercises.  Those arriving to the tenth light first will rinse and repeat until the six has done ten of each exercise.  Here are the exercises for each tenth light:

  • Merkins, Big Boys
  • Squat Jumps, Lunges (each leg = 1)
  • Carolina Dry Docks, Hello Dollies

Next, we will run to Area 51.  Stop at the area by the parking lot on the right.  We will split into teams of two.  While one team member does an exercise, the other runs to the curb at the end of area 51, does 10 jump squats, and runs back.  The partners then switch.  When each partner had done an exercise twice, they shift to the next exercise.  Here are the exercises:

  • Gas pumps
  • Rocky Balboas
  • Diamond Merkins
  • Iron Mikes

Next, we will run up the hill above Area 51 to roadway above the big tree.  Those getting there first will do bench dips until the six arrives.

Mosey to AO by running to gravel parking lot area, walking along the parking lot area, then running to AO.

Next we will do sprints to sign by parking lot and slow job back to where we started.  Repeat sprints three more times.  Then slow jog back to AO.

MARY:

35 Baby Crunches
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
15 showing, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Wondering Where The Lions Are

Have you heard or do you remember the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den from the Bible?  Daniel was a Jew who was serving Darius, the King of Babylon or Prussia.  Daniel was an excellent administrator and King Darius liked him.  The other administrators and officials of King Darius were jealous of him.  They did know how strongly he worshipped his God.  They planned a scheme where , supposedly to celebrate the king, they convinced King Darius to issue a decree that any person in the kingdom who prayed to or worshipped any God or human for the next 30 days, other than King Darius, should be thrown in a Lion’s Den.  Daniel worshipped his God daily and continued to do so after the decree.  Caught, he was thrown in the Lions Den.  The next morning King Darius rushed to the den to find Darius alive, the ferocious lions acting tamely beside him.  King Darius, who cared for and admired Daniel then proclaimed:

“I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever”.

As a psychologist, I see many people who suffer from anxiety.  I recently had my first session with a mid-thirties woman who suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (anxiety that occurs after one suffers from a trauma), Social Anxiety (anxiety about being in social situations), and Agoraphobia (condition where a person panics if they leave their household). Ten years ago, she could hardly leave her home without breaking down. She even had difficulty answering phone calls, too anxious to talk to strangers.  Fortunately, she met a therapist who helped her out. He talked to her about how anxiety can be incredibly crippling but that some anxiety can be gradually overcome through something called exposure therapy.  If people, who have been frightened in the past, can expose themselves to the situation they fear and see that nothing disastrous happens, the anxiety can, over time, decrease.  He used a metaphor with my patient.  He said if we were to open a door and have a ferocious lion attack us, we would be very frightened of ever opening that door again, even if the lion was taken away and people tried to rationally convince us there was no lion there anymore.  We may panic trying to open the door and our hearts might pound like crazy.  But, each day, if we continued to open the door and see that no lion was there, we would gradually be less anxious about doing it.  We might not ever fully wipe out the anxiety but we would be better off.  That is what has happened to this lady.  She still gets nervous when going into public settings but can now do so.  And she wants to continue that process so that in the future, she will be even better at it.

In life, we face difficult and challenging situations.  We get burned sometimes in these situations or we fail at them.  We then fear trying similar situations.  We worry about the consequences.  We worry that we can’t face up to the situation.  But, if we can expose ourselves to the challenging situations and learn from them, we grow.  If we can trust that God is on our side, we can tame the lions we fear.

One of my favorite songwriters, Bruce Cockburn, wrote a song that talks about the ecstasy that comes with belief in God and His eternity.  He also talks about about how fear is diminished with the knowledge of this belief.  I will finish my message with some lines from that song which is entitled, “Wondering Where the Lions Are”:

Sun’s up . . . looks okay
The world survives into another day
And I’m thinking ’bout eternity
Some kinda ecstasy got a hold on me

I had another dream about lions at the door
They weren’t half as frightening as they were before
But I’m thinking ’bout eternity
Some kinda ecstasy got a hold on me.

And I’m wondering where the lions are
I’m wondering where the lions are
I’m wondering where the lions are.

MOLESKIN:

Prayers for safe travels for Pusher and Rusty on their vacation.  Prayers for Thunderstruck and his family after the death of his mother.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
CSAUP tomorrow night at Haw Ridge, 9 pm.

Work Hard then Slow Down

THE SCENE: Sunny, not too warm but humid after rain earlier in the day
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 side straddle hops in cadence

10 windmills

10 baby arm circles each way

Little of this and that

10 rockettes

5 burpees

THA-THANG:

Mosey to Grinch’s Hill

7/1’s

7 merkins up top

1 jump squats at bottom

Until get to 1 at top and 7 at bottom

 

Mosey to parking lot for Doras (battle buddy up)

100 bird dogs (5 each leg, demonstrate touch opposite leg and knee from on ground – switch side every 10)

100 squats

60 hand release merkins

 

Mosey to the Coliseum – Takeoff on baseball

Have to go 1st, do exercise come back home, go to 2nd…etc.

1st base – 20 flutter kicks

2nd base – 20 major merkins? (almost like diver bombers, but back over knees then out over hands)

3rd base – 20 Bobby Hurleys

Circle all the way around to home and do 5 burpees and then LBCs until the 6 comes in.

 

Mosey to top of Pickett’s Charge/Coliseum

Reverse Pickett’s Charge suicide

Run down to 1st tier – 10 imperial walkers – each leg is 1

Run down to 2nd tier – 5 prisoner getups

MARY:
Came back to AO right on time
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Use the TAGS on right-side to record PAX (BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOURSELF) in attendance. Be sure to select the AO in CATEGORY above TAGS and then delete these notes!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Spoke on not rushing and taking time and slowing down to do things right and stress out less. Shared the following quote:

“Sometimes I think there are only two instructions we need to follow to develop and deepen our spiritual life: slow down and let go.” – Oriah Mountain Dreamer

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Thunderstrucks Mom. She has chosen to stop with blood transfusions. Prayers for him and his whole family as they face the possible loss.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Insert information about upcoming events, 2nd or 3rd F opportunities, and any other announcements.

My Team Lost!

THE SCENE: Partly cloudy skies, temp in lower 60s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 5 Burpees, 10 Mountain Climbers, 4 Burpees, 10 Windmills, 3 Burpees, 10 Twisties, 2 Burpees, 10 Baby Arm Circles Forward and Backward, 1 Burpee, Little of This and That
THA-THANG:

Mosey toward stop sign at northeastern end of the admin bldg.  We will stop at the guard rail to do 15 merkins.  Then we will mosey northwest on the perimeter trail and stop when it meets the trail that parallels Lyons Bend.  We will stop to do 20 American Hammers.

Next we will run up Roadshow Run doing the following:

  • At top of first set of steps do 10 Diamond Merkins then run back to trailhead.
  • Run to top of second set of steps and do 10 Diamond Merkins.  Then run back to trailhead.
  • Run to the top of the last set of steps and do 10 Diamond Merkins.  Then circle back down Roadshow Run to pick up the six.

Next we will do a counterclockwise circle, stopping to do the following exercises

  • At bottom of the steps leading to Bat Cave do 20 Carolina Dry Docks
  • At grove area near the summit of Mt. Everest do 5 Burpees
  • At top of Mt. Everest do 20 Flutter Kicks, 4 ct.
  • At Bat Cave do 20 Star Jumps
  • Rinse and Repeat two more times.

Mosey to the stop sign at the northeastern corner of the Admin Bldg.  We will be following a path and stopping at cones on the way.  The path will go on sidewalk, then to steps of Admin Bldg, then back on sidewalk to roadway that leads to coliseum, then on that roadway north back to stop sign.  We will run on this path except where indicated below.  We will stop at cones to do the following exercises:

  • Cone 1 at end of sidewalk:  20 Hello Dollies
  • Cone 2 on steps of Admin Bldg:  20 Calf Raises
  • Cone 3 at start of other sidewalk that goes to coliseum roadway:  20 Merkins
  • Cone 4 at parking area by coliseum roadway:  20 Jump Squat then Bernie Sanders to Cone 5
  • Cone 5 by stop sign an Northeastern corner of Admin Bldg:  20 Big Boy Sit-ups
  • Rinse and repeat two more times

Mosey back to AO

MARY:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Reverse Big Boys.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
17 men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
My Team Lost!

Being a sports fan is fantastic.  It has been so nice to see fans back in stadiums this year versus seeing those doggone pictures of fans they would put in the seats last year during Covid.  The roar of the crowd helps makes sports what it is.  And, I am a sports fanatic.  There is nothing wrong with that . . . unless I make sports my false idol.  God states in Exodus 20:3 that “You shall have no other Gods before me.”  I think there are many who make sports their God and sometimes I am guilty of it. Think of the amount of time people spend focusing on a sport like football or basketball versus focusing on God.  And think of how much emotion people put into sports versus worship.  Again, I am guilty.  My friend Pele can tell you one of the most frequent statements I make when my Baylor Bears are losing:  “I hate life!”  I say it in fun, but I must admit that I am guilty of feeling kind of like that when my alma mater loses.  Heck, my weekend was almost ruined when both Baylor and Tennessee lost on the same day during March Madness this year.  Only my son Bennett’s engagement to his fiancé, Sarah, saved me from going into a despondent funk.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t go nuts for our favorite sports teams.  That is actually a beautiful thing and I think God sees it that way.  But when people are so consumed by it that their lives become lopsided . . . and, when people are willing to give hush money to others just so that their favorite college can win . . . that is going too far.

As an athlete, sports has taught me so much:  the thrill of competition; the ecstasy of winning; how to put my team and teammates above myself; how to practice, practice, and practice to become become better at a task; how to serve with others in unison for a common cause; how to sacrifice; and, how to lose.  Because sports is about both winning and losing.  I thank sports for what it has taught me.  But sports, I will not make you my idol.  I will put no idols before God.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers of thanks for 3rd birthday of Pusher’s grandson and Jetlag’s son.  Prayers for Swimmie’s grandfather who is having surgery for cancer.  Prayers for the people in Ukraine in the war there.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Starting new F3 site at Kingston in April.