Christmas Joy and Ho, Ho, Ho

THE SCENE:
32 degrees and a bit of a breeze

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:

Welcomed and Disclaimed

WARM-O-RAMA:
20 – SSH IC

10 – Merkins IC (so really 20 if you’re counting)

THA-THANG:
I brought out a new contraption that Tomb Raider helped me dream up.  A six foot wooden beam with a paint bucket attached to each end.  The buckets each contained roughly some sand and were tied at differing lengths from the beam making it a little unsteady and whole lot of fun.

Eight stations.  Rifle carry the new contraption to the end of the parking lot and back was the time keeper.  The other seven stations consisted of 50lb shoulder shrugs, 20lb single arm alternating clean and press, 30lb kettle bell swings, squats with a 60lb sandbag, CMU curls, CMU shoulder press, CMU Lunges.  Two rounds

Round three was added because the contraption proved to be twice as much fun as I had imagine and I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.  Eight more stations.  30lb Ruck to the playground and dead man hold on the monkey bars for 30 sec.  Tricep extensions, curl to should presses, squat to should press, T-Merkins, back fly, sandbag cleans, sandbag upright rows.

All the while being serenaded by Vanilla Ice, Run DMC, Lady Gaga and others with Christmas classics.

MARY:
none

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA:
8 PAX

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Joy is a feeling that comes from inside, it’s your essence.  It is not an expression that people around you see, it’s an energy that people feel from you.  Joy is not the same as happiness.  Happiness is external.  It looks like a smile or a laugh but we all know that smiles and laughs can hide pain and anger and jealousy and hate.  Joy, on the other hand, is accepting that all of that negative energy exists and choosing to not allow it to infect us.  As with the negative feelings, joy comes from your life experiences.  You can choose to focus on the shoulda, coulda, woulda’s or the wrongs against you or perceived slights in your life.  Or, you can see those same events, choices, decisions, actions are what shaped you and made you the person you are today and how that person is making the best of his life as it is now.  Choosing to accept those as experiences and not allowing them to determine that what you have and who you are now is somehow not where or who you should be – that’s living joyfully.

That feeling you get when you accept yourself is a key ingredient to living a joyful life.  Gratitude is the second and most important ingredient in living joyfully.  Being grateful for everything in your life, no matter how small or even how painful it might be, will allow you live a joyful life.  Spend time this Christmas being grateful for everything in your life and everything that has shaped your life.  Then, make a habit of being grateful for the rest of the year.  You’ll find a new energy and you’ll be grateful for it.

And, in the giving spirit of Christmas – spread joy and gratefulness to your family and community.

*editor’s note: I actually said about 50% of what was written in this back blast but having had time to reflect I chose to add a few more sentiments to the message.