The Honest Post

Here I am, back at it. Been a while since I’ve posted and for that I do apologize. This post is going to be about my honesty. There are some things I feel some type of way about and I’d like to post on that. I’ve had many things happen since I last posted and I want to share my thoughts on them.

The Precious (Ring)

Well, it’s been done. The ring I have been searching for has been found. I received my Super Bowl Championship ring on Saturday of last week. I was kind of excited for it, but not fully. I really did nothing to get it. I rode the backs of many men to get it. Let’s be clear, I’m 35 years old and nowhere near as good as my counterparts. I have heart and I did everything asked of me to get to where I got to. However, I just wasn’t ‘good enough’ to even play a series for the last six weeks. The most sweat I got was in pregame warm-ups. It was a waste of my Tuesday and Thursday nights and many miles logged on my car on Saturdays to watch a semi-pro football game. I did make many friendships along the way and experiences that I will always be grateful for. Many people that I trusted showed me their true colors over the course of the season. Many friendships were tested, many will never be the same again. Out of that experience, I learned even men cannot stand up and be truthful and treat other men like… men. This is NOT about ego. This is about the truth. Treating men with respect and having honest dealings with these people that spend hundreds of dollars of their hard earned money to support a team. To take time away from their families and potential injuries that may force them out of work for a time. For the love of the game, these men that say “Yes, I will sacrifice my health, my time, and my money for this game that I love and the chance to be a part of this family and this brotherhood.” To just shit on those men and the commitment they make just to make a better run at a ring is something I’ll never understand. This is mostly why I have made the switch to competitive strongman. It is something I have always wanted to be a part of since I watched Magnus Ver Magnusson compete in the World’s Strongest Man back in the 90s.

Magnus Ver Magnusson

The Genesis Of The Strongman

Back in the early 2000s, I had told a friend of mine that I intended to train for WSM (World’s Strongest Man) and would be competing for it by the mid 2000s. I trained hard for a few months and then everything just fell apart. My son was getting becoming a toddler and I had to concentrate on work and making money to feed my family. Training was not in the cards. I abandoned that dream. I had no choice. Years passed, I got older and eventually forgot about it.

Let’s fast forward to November 2013. I started working out with a friend, Nick. We had done maybe 2 or 3 workouts and as we were leaving the gym, I said “You know, I really want to get up to powerlifting and training for strongman competitions.” He stopped dead in his tracks and said “No shit, I’ve always wanted to do that. There’s a place in Everett that does them.” With that, the seed was planted and we started gearing our training to that. I thank God for Nick daily. We have developed a friendship and are like brothers. We train together, talk about events of the day, and look out for each others’ well-being.

The life of someone who does what I do is a lonely one. Many people don’t understand the ‘need to feed’ the addiction that weightlifting becomes once a person consciously decides to get into this lifestyle. The need to eat protein at pretty much every meal becomes very costly. The people that precede us and the muscle they carry is something that the average person thinks is gross and ‘just too much’. The constant talk about competition and what it will take to get there makes some peoples eyes roll out of their heads practically. Yes, a very lonely life. I spend most days beating myself up thinking about what I should have done differently in my workouts or how I could have eaten differently that day.

This new life is something I’m getting used to and it is by no means easy. It’s expensive and lonely, yet I know it can be rewarding. It’s gonna take time, but I will get used to it.

The Facebook Life

I don’t get is how people can get so bent over what other people have for beliefs on social media. I was one of those people that get bent. When people would post hateful messages about the President or being stereotypical about welfare recipients I’d be the first to chime in with a rebuttal. I was that Facebook crusader. I just had to take it personally. What’s the reason for that? Is there really THAT little to do in life to get bent and have to take potshots at other people for having an opinion other than mine? I realized eventually that because I have an opinion one way, that does not mean that I necessarily have the right opinion. It may be right for me, but I don’t have to push my values and beliefs on others. I can post what I want on my page and no one has the right to tell me I can’t. Many people I have as friends on Facebook have different opinions than mine. In fact, I’ll say drastically different. I see all kinds of posts and if it comes down to being offensive on a regular basis, I just hide their posts. It’s just that simple. To call people out for what they post on their page, is similar to telling someone they aren’t allowed to put stuff of their front lawn cause they drive by and don’t like the view. Seriously? Calm down. It’s Facebook. People have a right to post whatever they want and whether it’s political, grammatical, or whatever… get over it. There is no Facebook Police and as long as it isn’t violating any laws leave it be. By accepting the friend request you are pretty much saying “Yes, I accept what I will see from you on my news feed.” It’s really not that serious. If people are so compelled to be rude to those that have different views, then just unfriend that person.

The Human Nature Experience

When it comes to my everyday experiences with other people, I am perplexed how they act. I get generally annoyed by most people and that is EXACTLY why I don’t deal with people on a regular basis. I have a hard time accepting how people feel ‘entitled’ to rewards in life. We all must work for what we want. Treating others like dirt because they have more than you or because they may not agree with you on issues is unacceptable. There is no reason to make someone feel horrible because you don’t agree. Just agree to disagree and move on. This world is a big place and I’m sure there are others that will see your point and one person that doesn’t isn’t the bad guy/girl. It is really disgusting to treat people with no respect just on the basis of human decency. So many people have this thing where they believe that they should be allowed to talk to people however they want to because of how they feel people treat them. Maybe if people examined how they act and what they say about others, they may realize that they may be the problem. Imagine if people looked in the mirror first before acting on impulse? 

What's The Point?

My point is this. Treat others with the respect that you'd want. People will only give you what you give them. Want people to respect your opinions? Respect theirs. If you have a right to do whatever it is in your beliefs that you do, then respect that they also have that same right. No one person is above another. It's just that simple. Each day I wake up, I realize more and more that there are more 'entitled' people in the world than there are hard working people. People think the people that help them are supposed to. The people that listen to them are SUPPOSED to. Be a man/woman and accept that people are just different. 

Most importantly, realize that some people you trust will MOST DEFINITELY fuck you over. Throw up the deuces at them and keep it moving. No need to Facebook the drama and look for social acceptance... unless you want people to hate on you and judge you after. 

As always, leave a comment or hit me up on Facebook for thoughts. I'd love some feedback.