Alright let’s get started, I have been thinking about my PawPaw ever since I been following the discipline of exodus 90. One of the formation packs Suffering well with Christ struck home with YHC. So I decided to make some exercises that represented some aspects of his life that I found especially interesting.
YHC showed up at the stage around 0445 this morning and started unloading some props. Enron was the first to show up as I was finishing duck taping a slightly damp cement bag together to make sure it wouldn’t fall apart throughout the work out. Lil cuz showed up next followed by Paradox coming in hot around 0510. After some chitchat we jumped into warms up.
Warm up
Side straddle hops
Grass grabbers
Windmills
Arm circles both ways
Cherry pickers
Butt kickers
Self love
Thang 1 Meat rabbit 7’s
Alright my PawPaws first attempt at entrepreneurship was raising rabbits to provide meat to the little town of Lucy. It did not take off like he hoped and eventually he tore down his rabbit building and moved it to Vacherie to make his fence shop.
Meat rabbit 7’s are an adaptation of 11’s due to time. The workout by the stage were burpees which we started with 7 and worked down to one. The mode of transport was bunny hops to the side walk and one legged bunny hops switching at every picnic table on the way back. The sidewalk workout was squats from 1 to 7. This one was a lot harder on us than YHC thought it was going to be. Towards the end the bunny hops started to look like horse gallops, but the PAX got it done.
Thang 2 The Chainlink Circuit
After my PawPaw got himself a plant operator job, he still had the entrepreneurI’ll itch to start a business. This business was St. Pierre Fence company. It was his pride and joy right behind his 3 sons.
Alright from here we dove into the fence material circuit. This involved 4 stations due to the 4 PAX members in attendance. The exercise would start and stop with the PAX that flipped the 6’ double knuckled chain link roll end for end to the 2nd picnic table and back to the stage concrete. He was the timer. From there this PAX would move onto the tire beatdown. He would beat an old tire with a large maul until the next PAX member would return with the chainlink roll back to the starting point. After the tire beatdown the PAX member would move onto the 9’ by 2” schedule 40 galvanized fence post exercise which would change every round. 1st round was power clean, squat, shoulder press. 2nd round was curls, and 3rd round was skull crushers. The last station was the 80 lb. cement bag carry. The PAX member would either fireman carry or strongman carry the cement bag from the 1st picnic table across the field to the sidewalk and back.
The chainlink circuit went exactly like YHC wanted it to go. The PAX got to experience a simulated version of what it’s like to build a chainlink fence. I think my PawPaw would have been proud seeing this exercise.
Thang 3 Music tribute
My PawPaw lived with MS throughout the majority of his life. In 2004 he ended up catching a massive stroke and lost his motor functions and ability to communicate. He lived like this for 9 years and ended up passing in 2013.
YHC put in a couple songs that reminded me of my PawPaw. The first was Cost of living by Ronnie Dunn. The PAX would be doing mountain climbers or planks for the duration and would be doing merkins when the phrase I got a strong back came up. We would continue to perform merkins until the phrase cost of living is high and going up was sang. There was some chatter going on for this song, but we put in some good work.
The next song was Small town southern man by Alan Jackson. For this song we would be doing Penguins for duration and do some big boy sit up whenever southern man was sang. YHC was begging to hear anything that even remotely sounded like southern man. Those penguins got pretty tough toward the end.
From seeing my PawPaw suffer for so many years didn’t help my relationship with God. I couldn’t understand why God would make a good man suffer so much. Towards the end I clan remember praying he would pass just to ease his suffering and the strain it was putting on my dad and grandma. After reading Suffering well with Christ I finally understand a little more of what the Lord was doing with him and I am more at peace with it.
YHC called the work out at 0600 which was followed by COT and Enron prayed us out. Thank you fellas for showing up and doing this one with me. It was a good one.
See y’all in the gloom,
Smooth Operator
Side note – St. Pierre fence is still running today. My dad bought the business from my grandmother and my little brother is currently in charge of operations. I’m proud of them for kept it going and just wish I had the time and craftsmanship to help them out more.
