9 PAX came out on a drizzly but kinda warm day to the Abyss. I pulled in and it was great to see Cornerstone and Mr. Rogers doing some pre run work. Mr. Rogers told us he’s lost 55 pounds since starting this F3 thing! I love to see guys give it their all, and it’s great to watch that change in a man. I tell all the new PAX, it took me 4 months to keep up with a full 45 minute workout, but you keep posting you’ll be there in no time! We’ve got a new member drinking the Kool-Aid of F3 so far this week. Our new Lake Wylie man “Flea” posted for the 1st time Saturday at the Deep, and since then this Wednesday at the Abyss marked 3 out of 4 days for him! That’s the kind of start I like to see. Not since Witch Hunt as a man started so fast out the gate! I’m pretty sure (excluding Sundays) Witch Hunt has posted 142 consecutive days…look it up!

The Thang

So being Flea’s 3rd day I gave the longer disclaimer and we were off.

Mosey to behind the school to the bus parking lot.

COP
20 SSHs – 15 IWs – 20 MNCs – 10 Merkins – 15 Plank Jacks – 15 L&S Squats – 10 Ab Vagotas (sic)

1st rotation

Partner Up
1 partner run 1 lap around the track while the other partner does the following exercise then switch

Dips – Pull Ups – Freddie Mercury’s – Burpees

I like Cornerstone’s variation on the burpee, more of the jump squat version, but it helped Mr. Rogers and Flea stay in motion!

Our 10 counts consisted of my version of sharing Wisdom…I don’t do it consistently at all of my Qs (something I’m working on)
The Theme of the Month makes it easy! T-Claps to our PAX that create and post the theme documents every month. I asked the PAX what the theme was this month now that we are in March and a few got it correct – WISDOM

I shared the definition of Wisdom (reference your Weekly Fort newsletter, pull up the theme document, print it out, keep it at work, live to it’s higher standard!)

Off to 2nd rotation
11s on our Abyss Hill (several groans when we stopped here, how can PAX not like to get wet??)
Top we do Merkins starting at 10
Bottom Carolina Dry Docks starting at 1
Up and down the Hill until you’ve completed the 10-1 reverse

The PAX pushed this one hard, and it was hard to tell if it was rain, sweat or tears that had us drenched…but all the men kept going until the six could finish up. I’m always impressed by the encouragement the men give each other. One of my favorite things about posing in the Fort region.

Wisdom Speech #2
I shared 3 highlighted areas of the “Make it Personal” section of the document, then shared my our personal insight (see the moleskin below)

Mosey back to parking lot by cars.
Final 4 minutes: Captain Thors
1:4 assending reps of Big boy sit up to America Hammers

We went until 6am, made it to 6 Sit ups and 24 AHs

TIME!

Announcements
P200 man needed for my team Electrolytes Stat! (Poor Tater hurt his ankle)
Need plastic Easter Eggs for Paradise 4/1
Lake Wylie Convergence 4/22/17
F3 Dads game at the Knights 5/26
BrewRuck 4/1
Children’s Attention Home workouts, support and Qs needed!

Prayers
For the passing of the little Vanderslice Boy who returned to the Lord after battling cancer (Cornerstone knew the family)
Royale’s Father

Moleskin
At the 2nd Wisdom reading I shared a little about my current life struggles and how “Wisdom” is helping me through this time. On Tuesday, my struggling, unemployed, alcoholic father called to tell me he had been evicted from his apartment after several months of not paying the rent due to his unemployment since this summer. I’ve talked about him in COT many time’s in the past, and we pray for him regularly. A few weeks ago at the Abyss, Mr. T was on Q and he shared the famous Serenity prayer.

God grant me the
Serenity to Accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
and the Wisdom to know the difference.

That has meant a lot to me during these trials with my father. You want to “help” him. It might seem callous or dismissive, or even hateful to outsiders how I’ve treated this situation. It’s easy to give my father food, or money, or help him look for jobs, take him to his doctor for the medications he needs for depression…but none of those things truly help him improve. They just keep him surviving. For months I’ve carried the weight of trying to move him forward to be a functioning member of society, all to little success. So after countless warnings that not paying rent will get him evicted it finally happened. He’s homeless…what now? Bring him to live with me? I’ve already taken in my 16 year old niece and 13 year old nephew that need my family, there’s no room for another person. If I did, what then? Let him live the same way he has for months… being doped up on prescription pills doing nothing? Or worse, take him off those pills and he hallucinates and talks like a crazy person? Allow him to drink beers all day? The stress of that to my already overworked and overburdened wife would destroy our family. My mother is heart broken, and wants to help…but she is his “enabler” and this cycle in his life has happened countless times in the past. She would be sacrificing her own health and well-being to take him in and take on his stresses.

So with prayer we’ve come to the realization that we cannot change him, he must change himself. People do have to hit rock bottom to find that drive and motivation to get back on the path God has created for them. I pray all the time for my father to find his way in this world…and through prayer I’ve found peace that things will work out as planned, even if I don’t know what that plan is. I’ve provided my father with the homeless shelter phone number, I hope he calls it. Now at night, or in the rain, my heart sinks to know he’s out there on his own…