The morning dawned chilly but clear as I approached Pantheon on the first anniversary of my intro to F3. Alas my “sponsors” Howitzer and Bing would not be present due to having moved (Howitzer) and injury (Bing). Fish Sticks, who also had a hand in getting me to try the Daily Red Pill, was strangely absent. Probably busy plotting his next Alcatraz beat-down. Alas, they were all with me in spirit. I recalled my first time posting as an FNG and today brought a similar mixture of anxiety and excitement. But, this time I had Q-drenaline on my side.

Very gratified to see a few cars rolling in including the distinctive Jeep of our very own Q of Serve, CSPAN. Pleasantries were exchanged, Trucker’s home brew was discussed and the disclaimer was disclaimed. And away we went.

Warm-up lap around the “small” circle: Butt Kickers, High Knees, Karaoke and Power Skips (I’ve been reading a few of WorldWide Leader’s backblasts lately). Doubt that my Power skip form was any good.

COP: all in cadence

• SSH x 25
• Moroccan Night Clubs x 20
• Merkins x 10
• Squats x 25
• Diamond Merkins x 10
• IW x 20
• Wide-arm Merkins x 10 (Q was almost smoked)
• Hillbilly Walkers x 20

Quick Note on the monthly theme of Margin: asked the Pax to think about how much time each week they devote to the Most Important Things in Life.

The Thang:

Mosey behind the school to Basketball Court for Suicides (at 50%, 75%, 100%) and Bobby Hurleys, At that point, Jekyl asked in a very loud voice “did anyone see what happened to Duke did last night? (they lost) And, then, in a gleeful voice,  “And did y’all see how the Tar Heels did?” (they won). Mumble grumble from the Duke fans followed. Repeat the Suicide progression (crowd pleaser).

Mosey to Playground in back for some Dora. Partner up and knock out 65 Swing Crunches, 100 LBCs, 200 Squats with your partner. 365 in total in honor of my 1-year F3-versary.

Mosey to the kindergarten playground or, as Trucker put it, taking “the long way around the school”. Once there, we did 10 Burpees OYO for the benefit of Longshanks, king of The Burpees. (It’s not a workout without Burpess, right?) Next, grab a spot along the picnic tables for 30 step-ups (each leg) and 30 dips. Rinse and repeat, but just do 10 & 20 this time.

Mosey back to the front of the school and grab a spot on the wall. People’s Chair series where each Pax jumps out of line, does 5 squats (preferably quickly) and returns so the next man can do the same. A small mutiny erupted when our 2 “hate hate”s (Pigeon and The Prodigy) took their sweet time executing their squats and returning to the line. Remind me to split up the Millennials next time. The disturbance was quelled and we moved onto a nice, easy 20-count BTTW.  Now, being sufficiently smoked and nearing the end of my weinke, YHC decided to end with a few minutes of Mary, Pax choice.

Mosey back to the cars and get on your six. Throw it to Longshanks who called out some Dying Cockroaches (in cadence). Next, Jekyl led us through some Rosalitas (in cadence). Sensing that we may have gone overtime, lacking a timepiece to confirm that and running out of steam, YHC quickly audibled to another 10 Burpess OYO for the Pax while I grabbed my phone. Turns out, we had gone into 4 minutes of overtime. No one felt shortchanged.

COT:

• Announcements
• Praises to Howitzer, Bing and Fish Sticks for their EH skills
• Prayers for families, injured Pax, our country, our state and our nation
• Final thought on Margin: DO say NO to good things so you can say YES to great things and Don’t try to build Margin in your life by doing other things faster
• Call to each Pax to find that friend, brother, co-worker or acquaintance who could benefit from trying F3. We know that they are out there, so do what you can to get them to post.

Naked Man Moleskin:

YHC also shared some of my personal history during COT. In November 2015, I was in a tough spot. There were some toxic forces brewing at my place of employment that were eating me up and dominating my every waking thought. I was neglecting my duties as a husband and as a dad.  I desperately needed to find a way to get stronger mentally and physically. Now, Howitzer, Bing and Fish Sticks didn’t know of my desperation at the time, but they each had a hand in leading me out of that dark place by continuing to talk up F3. Color me grateful.

I’ve retained some vivid memories from that first Post at Pantheon-seemingly hundreds of Bear Crawls up that infernal hill, cursing the Q at the time under my breath (think it was Double D) and my head starting to spin as I tried to catch my breath doing step ups on a 4 foot wall. However, i also remember how CSPAN, in true weasel shaker mode, came along side me and encouraged me to just try a little bit harder. When it came time for Name-O-Rama and I was christened with “Short Sale”, well, let’s just say it wasn’t my first or second choice. But, it’s grown on me and I am proud to be a member of this brotherhood. Looking forward to the years ahead and sharpening iron alongside my fellow leaders.

Truly humbled and honored to serve. Thanks Fish Sticks for the opportunity.

Short Sale signing off