Fitness, Fellowship, Faith
Fitness, Fellowship, Faith
I mentioned the date to Elmer’s, and he said he was going to shut down Mount X and come to cowbell. Other sites did too, and all of a sudden, we had a convergence on our hands. I was humbled and grateful. In the meantime, I asked for takers, and a few guys stepped up to share a quick word at COT. I even invited my long lost friend Soggy to come, and he did. Good stuff Soggy.
I arrived on time and it was raining. Good. That made it better. We immediately got on the ground for big boys and hand release merkins. Getting uncomfortable early is good. It sets the tone. We moseyed, we stretched. Then we rifle carried our kettle bells to the target parking lot. We split into partners and did various work with curls, tris, chest, back while our partners ran sprints and laps. There was the normal, low hum of bitching and moaning among the PAX. To their defense, I had to audible some due to the crowd. I noticed my youngest brother struggling to keep up even though he’s in decent shape. Upon further investigation, I found out that he had a fat dip of grizzly wintergreen in and was about to blow chunks. I advised him to remove the tobacco and see if that helps. He did. Listen, rednecks have to learn the hard way. We then went back to the other lot for sprints, and then went to COT.
In COT a few of the PAX shared insight on recovery. Then, my brother “wild thing” spoke for a while, it was awesome stuff and it took me off guard, in a good way. When he was done, I shared some, then the FNG closed in prayer. After the prayer concluded, it was my time to name the FNG. No hesitation, no thinking, nothing crazy, I named him Bull Dick. In order to keep the name, we had to promise F3 upper management that we’d shorten it to BD any time we weren’t in the gloom. It was an awesome day for me. It really was. Being surrounded by the PAX and my brothers on such a special day was truly EPIC. So much so, that I forgot Team Waxhaw smoked us in the battle for the ‘haw just 24 hours prior. I planned to share something more than I did in COT. But time and emotion got to me. So if you’d like read what I planned to share, continue reading. If not, no problem, it was an honor to be in the gloom with the boys that day. See you soon.
The planned COT Message:
Some people ask, how’d you get that bad off by your mid 20s? Well, to be clear, I was a run of the mill drunken idiot until I was 19. Sports injuries and the surgeries that came with them, turned me on to the pain pills after that. Around 21, the pain pills turned into a daily pint of vodka to crank things up, followed by OxyContin. By 23, Xanax entered the equation and I was passing out and pissing myself every night, and an all around mess. Praise God for His grace, my family, and Rachel (my wife). She’s see some dark stuff and she never once wavered.
I NEVER judge a man for partaking in his drink of choice. That’s his journey. And at this point, it doesn’t bother me to at all to be around it. Most can do it without heavy consequences. Some can’t. That was me. The booze always led to the pills, the pills always led to chaos, the chaos always led to destruction. Some people have two speeds. I have three:
-1:Sober.
-2:Arrested.
-3:Dead
Option 1 has served me well lately.
In a weird way, year 15 has been a challenging year for me. However, the accountability and discipline that comes with meeting other dudes to workout when it’s dark and the rest of the world is still asleep, has been good for me. As I like to say: sometimes, you need the group. Sometimes, the group needs you.
In this season, and hopefully beyond, God has used F3 Waxhaw to make a positive impact in my life. I hope that God has also used me to make a positive impact in the life of F3 Waxhaw. This group as a whole, and the individuals that make it up, have been a valuable addition to my life. You guys keep showing up. You never know how big of an impact you make just by waking up, showing up, and getting after it.
Addiction is a slow fade. I’ve dedicated my life to helping others not follow my former footsteps. I joke about the top half, it was fun. If it wasn’t fun, it wouldn’t be hard to stop. But the bottom half is what nobody wants to talk about. The chaos, the debt, the broken relationships, the legal trouble, etc. If you, or anybody you know, ever wants to talk about it, I’m always down to chat. tel:704-214-2145. Confidentiality is always a top priority.
Sincerely,
🪓Hatchet🪓