Four men showed up on a cold morning at Pantheon.  The question today was “What is weighing you down?”  The holiday season usually exacerbates the things that are weighting us down.  Whether it be struggling with finances, relationship issues, work stresses, or losing a loved one.  As men, we continue to add these thing to the bar until it is overloaded where we cannot lift anymore or it comes crashing down on our chest.

So what is the solution?  First, the workout and how it ties to the question at hand.  We started with a quick jog around the carpool circle. Next, we did the following warm-up exercises:

SSHsx15

Imperial Walkers x15

Windmills x15

Plank stretches

Next, we did the following exercises with cinder blocks.  The repetitions were completed when each person had jogged around the parking lot or alternatively carried two cinder blocks down the length of the school building and back to the starting point.

Exercises:

1.  Squat thrusters with block
2. Burpees block jump
3. LBCs
4. Offset merkin
5. Freddie mercury
6. Derkin

We finished with a round of flutters and box cutters.

Getting back to the solution..what do you do? I don’t have all of the answers, but I can share my experience with you.  In 2013, I my job was very demanding due to some organization changes within the company.  Our regular summer vacation was cancelled due to amount of work.  I promised my wife and kids I would make it up to them.

On August 11, my older brother called me.  I was running on the treadmill at the time so I did not answer the phone.  He called again.  I jumped off the treadmill knowing something was wrong.  It was..my younger brother had died.  I was in disbelief, how could this be.  I physically fell to the ground in tears.  He was my younger brother, I was suppose to protect him, but I was too busy working. I could probably spend a lot more time on the story, but the aftermath was worse.

I did not want to talk to anyone about it and I continued to go to work and do my job like nothing happened. The impact was felt by my wife and kids.  My wife and I grew farther apart.  Things finally got better when we began talking about it, eliminating the noise in our lives, and prioritizing what we wanted most as a family.  The best way to describe the impact of this experience is the feeling when you are able to drop a heavy weight after carrying it for a while.  Your body feels lighter, almost floating.

There are a number of great men here in the Fort.  All who come with different experiences and backgrounds.  Take advantage of it.  Find that someone that you feel comfortable and share these things that are weighting you down. It may be uncomfortable at first, but it gets easier over time.

Thanks for the opportunity to lead,

Fishsticks