Posts are filled with adjectives like awesome or amazing in describing a loved one when we all may have different thoughts about the individual being described! We can no longer talk about someone as simply being special to the writer, we have to give the subject super-human characteristics, using superlatives in all cases.
What brought this rant on? Let me preach on it!
This past Saturday, Mary and I attended an event in which Jonathan and Kim (son and daughter-in-law) participated. The event was a fund raiser for a charity called Neverthirst whose mission of providing clean water to third-world countries. The event was a Crossfit competition with an entry fee and donations accepted for the charity.
For those not familiar with Crossfit, this is an exercise/fitness program which uses many different exercise regimens to achieve fitness and strength.. They use weights lifting, running, jumping rope, and among many others. The first competition for the event on Saturday involved teams of two people who alternated jumping onto a wooden box, two feet high, then back down, then doing a "burpee" which is a cross between what we used to call a "squat-thrust" and an pushup; and as soon as the first completed this series, the second would go. The alternating kept up until they had each completed 50 repetitions. They then performed forward lunges down to one knee and back up while holding a barbell weighing 95 to their chin, 10 times.
That was followed by lifting a kettle bell ( a round ball with a handle) weighing 53 pounds, from between the knees to over the head and back, 10 times.
They then picked up a jerry can filled with water, (weighing about 40 pounds) and ran for 100 meters where the can was passed to the other person who carried it back to the starting point, where they repeated the activities two more times. The carrying of the water is symbolic of the focus of the charity since a large portion of the world obtains their daily water needs in this fashion, frequently from contaminated streams or wells.
Doesn't sound too tough? Try just one rep. And that's just the first event! The others are too strenuous to describe, much less do!
Neither Jonathan and his partner nor Kim and her teammate won their events so this is not about how awesome they are in their strength or how superior they are to the other competitors. But it is about the dedication and commitment it takes for any of the people who participated in this event or similar events around the world to get their body in the condition to make participation possible.
There were many who could not complete all the events. But unlike most athletic competitions, when the first crossed the finish line, they stood and shouted encouragement to the others, urging them on to completion.
I don't know the stories behind all the athletes but by observing Kim and Jonathan I have a pretty good feel for what it takes to get to the point of being able to enter the competitions; training at 5 o'clock in the morning then coming back home to get ready for a day's work and then back to the gym afterwards. Trading off times so that one can tend a child while the other works out and then reversing the roles.
As I said before, this is not about how awesome Jonathan and Kim are but it is about how awesome the dedication they and their fellow athletes show as they constantly strive to improve. They are not looking forward to multi-million dollar contracts with the associated fame that we see in so many athletic events. They are seeking fitness and friendships, they have to pay to compete.
There were some events for the kids, mostly children of the competitors, since they live the Crossfit life too! But it was all for fun, no competition involved.
As I took these pictures, I knew I would be writing about the them and the words awesome and amazing kept popping into my mind. But I knew those words are used way too often and were inadequate to express what I was seeing. I can't really say I know the words that are needed. It is inspiring to see the strength, skill, dedication and commitment that is necessary in this individuals. It is encouraging to see them put their interests into something benefitting to mankind. And, it's pretty neat that they raised over $83,000!
But, when it comes to talking about Maddie, there's only one thing to say: She's the awesomest!!
