Tuesday, July 26, 2022 | 5:15AM | ELKHORN RIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL AO | 67 degrees and low humidity
PAX: Tee Ball, Tea Party, Jump Street, Bambi, Macanudo, Da’Kine, Gator, Obi-Wan, Old Spice, Ozark, Chiclets, Duracell, Armando, Patchy Adams, Stormchaser, Steeple and Wait Time.
QIC: Wait Time
YHC greeted 17 PAX members in the 5:15AM gloom. We welcomed everyone to the second pop-up workout for the Whetstone Ridge AO. T-claps to Tee Ball for accepting the role as site Q for West O’s newest site. The AO is surrounded by neighborhoods of sad clowns. After sharing the mission statement, principles and disclaimer (including…for the next 45 minutes I am not your friend). We moseyed to the plush grass in the Northwest Corner of the Hyvee Grocery Story for some Bro-GA.
BROGA:
SSH x 15 IC | Howl at the Moon x 10 | Pike Plank x 10 | Howl at the Moon x 10 | Pike Plank x 10 | Half Pigeon x 10 | Table Stretch of Shoulders x 10 | Half Pigeon x 10 | Table Stretch of Shoulders x 10 | Garland Pose x 10 | Monkey Humpers x 15 IC
PAX moseyed to the west parking lot of Elkhorn Ridge Middle School for the Pre-Thang.
PRE-THANG: THE VIRGIN STEINL
YHC made a terrible reference to this being the virgin Steinl for the new Whetstone AO. So the pain began…
Plank x 30 | Chilcutt x 30 | Merkins x 10 | Amazing Spiderman x 10 IC | Merkins x 10 | Plank x 30 | Chilcutt x 30 | Merkins x 10 | Amazing Spiderman x 10 IC | Merkins x 10
THANG: IRON SHARPENS IRON THREE MAN GRINDER
PAX divided into groups of three. A pile of sand bag coupons were strategically placed in the parking lot. Each group chose a sand bag to carry to the track for a three-man grinder workout. One station was placed on one side of the track and a second station directly on the other side of track. Each team placed a man at each station and had a runner tagging out a partner. YHC gave each team an option. Run 200 meters around the track to tag out your teammate, or bear crawl 50 yards across the football field. Exercises at each station were done AMRAP. One station required every exercise to be completed with the coupon.
COUPON STATION (AMRAP): Copperhead Squats | Shoulder Presses | Full Body Crunch
STATION: SSH | Turkish Get-ups | Shoulder Taps
PAX finished the Thang and moseyed to shovel flag
6MOM: American Hammers x 17 IC (Rancid Style)
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
WHETSTONE LAUNCH DATE: Next week, the Whetstone AO will be closed due to the shovel pass at the Helix. In two weeks, the Whetstone will officially launch. T-claps to Tee Ball.
RESPECT POP-UP: This Thursday (July 28) the monthly RESPECT POP-UP will occur at a new location. RESPECT PAX will meet at Burke HS Field at 5:30 AM. Anyone over 50 years old, or any PAX member who EH’s an FNG over 50 years old is welcome to attend. Coffeeteria at Stories after the beatdown.
PRAYERS: Rancid and his family. Rancid will lead a tribute workout to his brother tomorrow at Beverly Hills.
COT: WE ARE ALL A WORK IN PROGRESS
A part of my Shieldlock was present at the workout, and they know I am a work in progress. They also know that I have recently been really working on myself, which includes a weekly visit with my therapist. My therapist helps me understand myself and how my experiences shape who I am. He helps me get out of my own way.
Yesterday, I ceremoniously burned a letter that I wrote to my dad 23 years ago. I wrote that letter two weeks after my parents had separated. I was 27 years old and very angry. I have a much different perspective now. In my letter, I was very direct and showed little graciousness to my father. I really painted him into a corner and I was not kind.
I discovered the letter nine years ago after my father had died. He had the letter stuffed in his sock drawer. He kept my angry letter for 14 years. During that time, he moved at least three times. I never knew he kept the letter all those years.
Since discovering the letter after he died, I kept it for 9 years. Over that nine year period, I have moved three times. Yet, I kept the letter. I don’t know why I kept it. Maybe to remember who I was and how I have changed. More likely, I kept it as a “ghost of Christmas future” type of letter from the Christmas Carol. That letter represents this underlying fear of becoming my dad.
Looking back on that period now, I realize that I didn’t really know my dad and had no appreciation of what it was like to be a 47 year old sad clown. I wished that I had burned the letter with him. Yesterday, I did. I sat and burned the letter and cried as I spoke to him. I asked him for forgiveness and let him know that I have long forgiven him.
As I thought about him, I found this quote:
“I am not what I think I am, and I am not what you think I am. I am what I think you think I am.”
– Charles Horton Cooley
That quote is such a mind-fuck, I read it again to the PAX. We are not what other people think we are. We don’t have expectations and obligations put upon us by other people.
We prayed together.
Grace & Peace,
Wait Time