It was raining. A storm had just rolled through. I spent 30 minutes watching the lightning strike map before the workout. The electricity faded just before 0515, leaving behind a steady rain that cut the humidity.

We moseyed.

My eyes were on effort—and the promise of a road shorter than we wanted. I found one. We did 7s: merkins and squats. Basic doesn’t mean easy. We bear crawled between.

Another mosey.

Chasing the dream of democracy, I created an illusion of choice. Ten parking spaces. One more burpee at each stop. After nine, I had us pause to “vote” on whether we’d do ten. It was a sham. We were doing all ten—because this isn’t a democracy. But just saying we’re doing it wasn’t the point. We did it in cadence, because a leader leads.

It’s better when we go alongside those we lead. It takes longer. It’s more work. But it keeps everyone engaged. When I ask my kids to do the dishes, they’ll do it—but they do it better when I’m with them. I’ve got plenty of other things to do, but the most important job I have is to be their dad. And that means leading with them, more often than letting them go OYO.