The weather this morning reflected my mood to a T. It was rainy, dreary. A slight wind took whatever moisture was on our clothing and used it to sink its chill deep into our bones. A real jerk move, wind. The evening prior I had hoped that maybe the weather forecast was wrong. After all, the weather experts/enthusiasts only gave it a 60% chance of raining from 0630 to 0730. Alas, I resigned myself to the fact that we were going to get wet and cold. I re-calibrated my expectations and prepared mentally for what we were about to do. Albeit with a tinge of sadness in my heart.
20 men gathered at Bond Park for a tribute to one of our brothers, disguised as a beatdown. Here’s how it went:
WARM UP
- SSH
- Good morning
- Burpees (cuz Chipper was tardy)
- Squats
- Windmill
THE THANG
We did a series of Catch Me If You Can’s this morning, varying the exercises and modes of transportation. When I say we did a series, I literally mean this took up almost the entire hour. We saw about 80% of the park, so plenty of ground was covered.
Hand release Merkins Up straddles hops Nolan Ryans Turkish Get-ups E2K Ranger Merkins
Knerkins Up downs LBCs American Hammers Knerkins
We had one last exercise, but before we finished the beatdown, I shared the motive behind this morning’s Q. I talked about our brother Liverpool and his son, Hunter. What the PAX didn’t know was that with our hard work this morning, we spelled out Hunter’s name. We paid tribute to a kid none of us knew, and to his family who spent yesterday mourning the loss of their son to suicide.
Mental health is a very important topic to me, especially as it relates to suicide. I wish I had been more eloquent this morning during my speech to the PAX, but there really aren’t words that can adequately capture all the things I wanted to address. I decided to keep it short, exhorting the PAX to never hold back from reaching out to the men in their lives, whether they seem like their struggling or not. As F3 men, we leave no man behind. That goes for more than just the workout. As I called the final exercise of the day - sixty seconds of Have A Nice Day - I asked the men to consider what I had said, and I asked them to pray for their brothers.
19 men unknowingly paid tribute to a young man they never knew. That young man’s father, though? He’s one of our own. Liverpool wasn’t there this morning, and YHC knew that was going to be the case. Instead, LP was Q’ing a workout in Boone, NC. No doubt being a light to others despite his own personal pain. Being a High Impact Man.
God bless Keane, Cynthia, and their boys. May He give them peace and fill their hearts with joy and hope, understanding that they will see their son again. Amen.
We love you, brother.