Sympathy (Flagship)
Twelve Pax, took the Daily Red Pill (DRP) this morning and got better.
The Pax: T-Bone, Napalm, CPT D, Scout, McQueen, Jigsaw, Taco Cat, Bluegrass, Roadhouse, Beano, Neo (Q: Squirrel)
The Scene: Chilly 31 degrees and clear
WarmUp: SSH, Abe Vigoda’s, Rooster stretching the feathers (Qigong practice) and Rooster does the back stroke
Scout was in rare for him today! When we weren’t grimacing and pain we were rolling with laughter.
The Thang: We moseyed to the Field by the basketball courts and choose two team captains. (Roadhouse and McQueen). Captains chose the teams.
There were eight cones set out 10 yards apart, for a total of 80 yards. The trash can was the start/finish point.
- Each team completes 100 reps of each exercise.
- Since there were more than 4 Pax per team, the 5th Pax did the 1st column, 2nd Pax did the 2nd column and so on.
- After the entire team completed their prescribed reps (yes, they could help each other complete the reps) they moved to the next cone. Mode of transportation – Bear crawl
First team to finish bear crawling to the last cone wins….and then the team goes back to the ‘losing team’, helps them complete their reps and bear crawls alongside to the finish. Each team was provided a Weinke & given to the assigned QB. If the QB lost the Weinke the team would have to start at the beginning. Disclaimer: No Weinke’s were lost or hurt during this beatdown.
The exercises:
|
PAX 1 / 5 |
PAX 2 / 6 |
PAX 3 / 7 |
PAX 4 / 8 |
|
Merkins |
Squats |
Pickle Pounders |
American Hammer (50-4 count) |
|
Burpees |
LBC’s |
Carolina Dry Docks |
Merkins |
|
Imperial Walkers (50-4 count) |
Mountain Climber (Count every right) |
Freddie Mercury’s (50-4 count) |
Flutter Kicks (50-4 count) |
|
Monkey Humpers |
Squat Thrust (Burpee w/o pushup) |
Merkins |
Overhead Claps |
|
Superman (50-4 count) |
Air presses |
Lunges |
Knerkins |
|
SSH |
Dying Cockroach (50-4 count) |
American Hammer (50-4 count) |
Squats |
|
Lunges |
Squat Jump |
SSH (50-4 count) |
Superman (50-4 count) |
|
Burpees |
Merkins |
Burpees |
Merkins |
Team McQueen won the challenge and circled back to pick up the six and finish up with burpees. Hard work by all and a well-played game, great work men! This was better than watching the Superbowl
Finished off with some the 100, Cirque de Soliel abs and a bit of Broga.
Announcements/Prayer requests:
- Prayers for taco cat is he embarks on “just a” Master’s program. You are too big a man filled with the grace of God to play small my friend.
- Prayers for Napalms neighbor who had a massive stroke and is now undergoing in-patient rehab. Those who have been around stroke survivors and their families know the hard work that lies ahead. May God give them strength and may friends surround them with love and support.
Beano led us out in prayer.
MOLESKINE: Sympathy
Your Humble Correspondent has been doing some internal work of late. One area I realized needed some work was in giving sympathy to others. Since childhood there wasn’t much given to me and I learned the lack of sympathy trait well. Ask my M. She will say, “In Brian’s dictionary Sympathy lies somewhere between shit and syphilis.”
>>>>>>>sympathy >>>>>>>>>>>>> 
An old childhood story I laugh about today when the topic of sympathy comes into a conversation.
I was painting the eaves of my parent’s two story home. I was high up on the ladder when the morning dew allowed the bottom to slide out. I came tumbling down to CRASH on the ground below. The front screen door flew open and my mom popped her head out. She saw the broken ladder and merely said, “you’re spilling the paint!” She will still defend herself to this day and say that she saw I wasn’t hurt before telling me that. I still wonder. 😉
Throughout my military career there was no room given for sympathy. Both at the White House and Delta the message was clear…get the job done, no matter what.
- Scared of heights? Climb. “We’ve got a radio system to put in for the President.”
Tired? Get up, move and drink coffee. “We’re planning a cross-border mission.”
Sore? Get up and move. “Selection is an ongoing process.”
In my inside work I saw a few things I didn’t like. My lack of sympathy had shown up as being judgemental, frustrated, and dismissive. I began unpacking the proverbial rucksack to find the root cause. Then it dawned on me. I didn’t need to know what the root cause was. What good would that do? What I unpacked was the “what is.” I had identified the issue (being judgmental) and now it was mine to deal with. As with any good plan I jotted down my Courses Of Action (COAs):
- Do nothing (that’s always an option)
- Remind myself of how to be an observer. See life exactly as it is, bow to it, and accept the situation fully, just as it is
- Label myself as unsympathetic. Say, “that’s who I am” and wear the label/badge proudly
I’m a Keep It Simple kind of guy, so three was enough. I wouldn’t want perfect to get in the way of good.
Given the three COAs #2 seemed to be the best. Not easiest, but best!
I’m a work in progress. I’ll admit that I won’t get this right every minute of every day. I’ll jump back into being judgmental of something or myself. My work is to observe when it happens and then reframe my perception of the situation. Ask different questions, questions that will serve. For example:
OLD JUDGEMENTS / QUESTIONS LIVE RIGHT QUESTIONS
What’s wrong with me/them? What assumptions am I making?
How can I fix that? What am I responsible for?
I’m showing the way! What can I learn from this person/situation?
What’s the problem? What’s possible?
Ready – Fire – Aim What action steps make the most sense?
Recognizing my old reactivity and how it worked (or didn’t) is pushing me back to a time when I was a better observer. Like any other skill this must be developed over time and then practiced. I lost focus and fell out of practice and lost it. Re-mastering this way will take time.
Please bear with me…and remind me when I jump back to being in a judgmental, non-sympathetic mindset. #Accountability
Aye!