Today is a rest day for me…and it comes at a good time.  I’ve managed to make my entire body sore from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.  Lots of calories and a little stretching for me today.

I was doing a little reading last night and stumbled across a post I read awhile back over at the Gym Jones website.  Those familiar with Mark’s writing and opinions will know he can be a bit surly but the read is always on point and entertaining.  As a father of a 6 year old, I occasionally get frustrated with the sports teams and learning institutions we are involved with.  Now I’m going to sound like the Grumpy Old Man of SNL fame but in my day kids occasionally lost a game, got knocked down and skinned their knees, bumped their heads maybe…Jesu forfend!  One of the reasons I gravitate to CrossFit style workouts is that they reinforce the lessons I learned as a kid…the lessons I hope I’m able to teach my son despite the best efforts of “the system” to teach kids that everyone is a winner.  As soon as you start the clock on your WOD, you’re all in.  You may succeed, you may fail.  And if you fail, you come back again tomorrow and apply the lessons you learned today.

Food for thought from Mark Twight of Gym Jones, commenting on the state of the world today:

There is no penalty for losing. This, when virtually every coach and player and thinker agree that losing teaches the lessons; while winning results from having learned (and applied) those lessons. Without tests or boundaries how is one supposed to grow? When everyone is a winner who is left to learn the lessons? Conscious rejection of objective measuring sticks and periodic tests suggests the decline and fall of mankind. Today we’re a species of pretenders, and wanna-bes, and (in this country) obesity. I say bring on the killer cockroaches and whoever survives can start this party over.

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