My parents are no longer alive, but of course, that does not mean I don't think about them. They were two very different people who figured out life together for almost 60 years. They complimented each other and that strengthened what all my brothers and sisters gleaned from them. With six children who were (and still are) very different from each other, we came away from childhood with very different outlooks. Not really so odd that we didn't all learn the same things because we are all here to have different experiences.
This morning I found myself thinking about how much fun it is for me to share my CrossFit experience with my daughters and their *others* alike. I am lucky because even my family who don't CrossFit are all equally active. I can share golf, learn about yoga, be wowed by their running, etc. (I never did get any of them on the tennis court regularly...too bad.)
Those thoughts led me to thinking about my parents and if they would have liked, or even understood CrossFit. Here's my take on how they would have approached a WOD had I been able to introduce them to CrossFit:
Dad: avid golfer/tennis player/squash player(in younger years)
~~Dad would have shown up in crisp whites, shoes tied, listened, learned, tried to maintain a certain amount of finesse in his movements (refer to his sports) and then, mid-WOD, would have stopped to help a fellow CFer out with a dropped weight, let a woman go through the door first after a run, brought a chalk bucket to someone for pullups, etc, effectively dnf-ing on each WOD! ;) (dnf=did not finish) Not sure it would really be for him, although it would intrigue him because of my interest in it. He would ask questions, learn as much as he could about it, be open to its effectiveness, and be happy that I was happy.
Mom: avid gardener/tree feller/boulder mover/lobster trap hauler
~~Mom would have shown up in paint-stained shorts, barefoot, interrupted with some bawdy remark listened somewhat, tried to muscle through every movement (refer to her interests) and then, mid-WOD, would be grunting, swearing, trying to talk to everyone, effectively flipping off the timeclock not acknowledging that there was a time component to the WOD. (Another parent dnf-ing!) I'm sure she would have wanted to try it again.
It would have been a trip for me to experience CrossFit with my parents.
Younger (relative to me!) CrossFitters see the value in getting their children involved by having them join in a free Saturday class (which many boxes offer) and relish having the benefits of a healthy activity to share with their children. There are also many Kids programs offered.
As an older CrossFitter, I would love to see more of these peoples' parents (my peers) come with them to a free Saturday class to share this experience with them. Their parent(s) may decide it's not for them, and that's fine, but I'm sure there would be many intrigued enough to try again. I'm excited that many boxes are beginning to offer more Masters programs.
My dad would have driven my mom to the box, but then my mom would have been the one to pick up the barbell. Interesting that seeing my impressions of what their experiences would have been shows me that I am clearly a combination of theirs', with perhaps a smidge too much of my mom's linguistic tendencies while bounding around the box barefoot!!
Sleep. It can be a seductive embrace that holds you all night. It can also be a seductive embrace that quickly morphs into an ornery toddler. There is little, if any, indication as to which personality you'll be dealing with when you lay your head down on the pillow each night. Well, at least not for a middle-ager like me.
Sleep. It's perhaps the most restorative aide we can give our bodies and our minds. It allows for the day's barrage of physical movement and mental stimulation to dissipate and dissolve. If we are lucky, we dream colorful dreams. If we are even luckier, we just sleep.
Sleep. It's one area of 'training' that CrossFitters and other movers and shakers know is completely necessary for optimum gains. It's one area of 'training' that often gets overlooked because we are used to overlooking its importance. We know we need it, but our tendency is to cut into our sleep time in order to have an extra hour or two so as to have time for other things. If our time management was better.......
Sleep. It needs to take a priority. Oh, how I want it to take a priority! Sometimes, like today after having a double session of WODding and not sleeping well last night, I want to know that sleep will embrace me all night. I will take what I can get and be happy with that. I also know that if I could turn off my brain alllllll night, I would not have an issue falling back to sleep should I wake up when I stir.
Sleep. It sounds so delicious when you think about it in the middle of the afternoon when all you really want is to close your eyes for an hour. It also sounds delicious when we think of the comfie mattress, soft pillows, and perfect sheets.
Sleep. It feels so great after a long busy day to be able to relax into your mattress and drift off, ever hopeful.
Sleep. Here's hoping that tonight, everyone gets embraced instead of trounced on by that ornery toddler!
I certainly hope I'm not disclosing any deep secrets coveted by my sisterhood, but...
men and women enter into each day of their CrossFit experience with such different outlooks.
Men throw on some clothes, grab a water bottle of some sort, and show up. Sure, some of you guys might give a thought or two to what shirt you want to wear. If you do, it's likely because it's some bright color, a bawdy saying that you are SURE will get the conversation flowing toward provocative innuendos, or it's a new one you just got for your escapades outside of CF. If, however, that shirt is hangin' out in the laundry pile, you'll shrug your shoulders, grab another shirt, and go.
Women, on the other hand, plan. We think about comfort and function. We think about our asses...aka, *Do these pants make my butt look big?* [Of course, we all know CF women want big butts, but not because of a poor cut of their pants. :) ] We think about what bra to wear...especially those women who know they'll rip off their shirts in the middle of a WOD. We think about what shirt to wear based on what goes well with the pants chosen for the day. We think about the WOD (for those of us lucky enough to know ahead of time) and how the choice of clothes will move during that WOD. Oh yeah, it's tough not to plan. It's COD before the WOD. [I'm guessing you can figure out what COD means! ;) ]
Then, men and women alike go to their respective boxes. Men, as I said, show up. Women walk in, tug at their clothes, adjust their bra straps, and go look at the whiteboard to double check their outfit choice.
3-2-1 GOOO. Rowers start humming, equipment gets tossed around, burpees get done, chalk dust flies through the air, weight plates clunk onto the floor, and the time clock shows an end to the WOD. Men and women alike lay a few sweat angels down on the mats, chalk grime pools in the creases in everyones' hands or end up as handprints all over clothes, hair reverts to *bed-head* status with a sheen of well-earned moisture, chatter and laughter rise up over the music, and all these post-WOD people who are on the floor have become just that, people. Not men, not women in their CF *outfit* of the day, just people who all got a little fitter and a little happier for doing so. This is where the gender gap closes.
In the end, I suppose women could learn a lot from our male CF counterparts....pick something and go. It won't matter after an hour anyway. It's just material to prevent us from being arrested for indecent exposure and sop up a little sweat. But still, if there are burpees in the WOD, there will always be some thought put into the pants a woman chooses that day.
I took a really fun and challenging class yesterday at CrossFit Beacon. It was fun because the energy of the class was light yet focused. It was challenging for a few reasons.
First and most obvious, all CF classes are challenging even if the particular day's WOD is not that involved. That's what keeps us CFers coming back with a vengeance...we get through a challenging day only to be able to come back and stare down more challenges in the days to come because it feels so damn good.
Secondly, the WOD was the benchmark, "Helen".
It's 3rds for time of: 400m run/21 kettlebell swings (55#men + 35#women)/12 pullups (plu)
Anything with running is a challenge for me. haha I loath and cringe don't mind running anymore, but it's a goat of mine and let's face it, goats are never embraced with love. :) We embrace them coolly and half-heartedly only because we HAVE to!
Thirdly, the class was a challenge because learning how best to utilize the space at Beacon is so new. Every time you move into a new space, you know it takes a while to learn the lay of the land, what works best, how the energy flows most efficiently, etc. That is what's going on right now in this beautiful big space...new equipment to get a feel for, new running path, spaces still needing to be filled up with energetic vibrations. I found that to be very interesting as I began to set up for "Helen". Putting on my New Balance shoes, picking out my KB, and choosing one of the many plu bars to use were all familiar to me, and yet I still needed to think about it. Actually, it's exciting to be feeling this newness right along side our emerging community at Beacon. The realization is awesome that coaches or members, new CrossFitters or experienced, we are all contributing to filling the box with a rhythm and lightness and focus that was the basis of the class yesterday.
And despite all the maneuvering through "Helen" in the new space, I pr'd her, as did two of my classmates. Three rings on the pr bell...not a bad way to start breaking in Beacon!!
When has listening become such a challenge?
Seems as though people only hear the first few words that someone says and then they shut off their ears and start firing up their mouths. Is it that people are getting used to a *140 character* attention span?
We need to keep listening to each other. We need to listen, hear, think, then respond. Agree or disagree, tsk-tsk or commiserate, run screaming or hug each other, but for cryin' out loud, LISTEN! People are often saying more than the words they choose to comprise their first sentence.
Why am I thinking about this? Because a social firestorm arose after a comment was made by a political consultant's remark that Ann Romney, wife of presidential candidate Mitt, had never "worked a day in her life." The consultant, Hilary Rosen, added more sentences to that statement, but few people seemed to listen. Rosen was saying that Romney never had to worry about finances which kept her out of touch with the average household. The statement was so true that even Romney herself verified she never had to worry about finances. While Rosen erred by not adding "for pay" at the end of her sentence about Romney "not working", she didn't say anything demeaning to at-home moms. That didn't stop people from their reactionary remarks.
I totally understand what Rosen was saying. I chose to be an at-home mom, but early on I had to help with our family finances. I was lucky enough to find contract-craft work through companies that subscribed to the *cottage industry* business formula. Consequently, I could be at home and work around my girls' schedules. Bottom line is that had I not had those opportunities to work at home, I would have had to work outside the home to make our finances work. Rosen was not saying Romney's job as a mother was not work, she was saying Romney, unlike the majority of parents today, never had to be conflicted about being at home. That indeed keeps her out of touch with most American women. {I'm fighting against all this turning into my own tirade about the wealthiest of the wealthy wanting to run our country...talk about being out of touch...ooo, I think a little fire just came out of my nose.....}
ANYway, back to where I started, and that is we need to just calm the frig down and listen to each other. Listen and hear. I'm not always successful at this, but am aware when I have responded in a reactionary mode instead of a thoughtful mode. In those cases, I have not listened to all the person has said. I have shut off my ears at the point that made me feel defensive or uncomfortable. Not good! So many fewer arguments, so many more meaningful exchanges would occur with an increase of attention spans relating to one another. We need this capability in every area of our lives, so let's not lose it!
CrossFit Beacon opened yesterday...great space, some fun and different equipment than what you would normally see in many boxes, and just totally exciting! I am beginning to *punch a time clock* again, after many years of retirement. I'm coaching, thanks to the owners of Beacon who asked me to come on board. It's a real joy and I really appreciate that CrossFit has opened up so many opportunities for me.
When I envisioned my life after all the girls left the house, I never ever imagined this life. I admit that I did imagine some sort of teaching again. I still miss the special needs population with whom I used to work. In the future, via my CrossFitting.....hmmm.
CF has obviously opened up my world in ways I didn't foresee. I think the biggest thing this has all done is it's reminded me that it's important to try new things in life. No doubt change is scary, stepping out to try something new is scary, but staying stagnant is even scarier. You never know what will resonate within your soul. Then before you know it, your soul has been touched, altered, and experienced a surge of growth. Surprises are terrific, especially when they come out of no where...wait, I guess that is the definition of a surprise, but you get the picture! Yeah, pretty special.
A toast to trying a new challenge, letting yourself feel vulnerable, and being open to a new beginning.
It's early April...or is it a WEEK into April already...
*gulp* That means the time cap on taxes is right around the corner.
I put alllll the blame on my children for growing up and finishing college and not needing me to fill out FAFSAs anymore as the reason I procrastinate on my taxes now. Geez, how inconsiderate of them to take that motivation away from me!
And let me just say, time caps suck...for taxes, for getting projects done, for CrossFit WODs! I'm not a fan. Yet those time caps are what keep the motivation going when there are just a few days or just a few minutes left. Damn them!
I like to feel when I start something that finishing it will be a certainty regardless of a fixed time frame. That's always the goal. Some things are a must to finish...taxes and __________(fill in the blank). Then there are those time caps that are implemented so you are forced to be done by a certain time whether the activity is complete or not, as in the capped WOD. I understand it, but I don't like it. I adhere to that, so I'll log where I am at the end of the cap, but finish the WOD anyway. It's how I operate...the need to finish...or is that the ever popular human need for "closure"...not sure, but it's really hard for me to leave something unfinished.
The time cap on taxes is right around the corner so I s u p p o s e I should actually be working on completing those instead of muttering about my desire to complete things. If only I had college FAFSAs to fill out for my children...wait, no, what am I saying??? I love my children, but this is one time cap I know I can beat on my own!
