ripple

I got the call I’ve been waiting on. I knew it was coming. Flintstone started the “Redwood” Q series and I knew my number was coming up soon. Although I expected it, I don’t think I was quite ready but I’m not sure I would have been more ready if I had another month.

What can I say about F3 GasHouse? It has been a great experience being part of F3 GasHouse, and I was fortunate to be around when we crawled thru the birth canal back in 2015 thanks to some good guys. It has taken a lot of really good men to keep me here and I am grateful for that. The men that I call brothers more often in my head than out loud have shepherded me thru some rough times, helped me avoid a lot of potholes, and pulled me out of some of each before they got to be too much of a problem. I have enjoyed a bunch of CSAUPs with stories than range from something like “I need something warm in me” to running the BRR. We have rucked the BRR (and dodged some dogs and gun-toting hillbillies) as well and created the Moron with a Part Deux not too far off I am sure. I have met some great men that have taught me how to be a better man. I have become a more patriotic American and grown closer to God as a result of a lot of this. Praying out loud in a group of men was new for me, and now seems pretty simple and honestly pretty natural.

When I get asked about F3, it’s hard to describe effectively. I can (pretty much) recite the mission. I can tell you about the workouts. I can even tell you why you should be there and counter most every excuse why you don’t want to be there. What’s harder to put into words is the effect that you (as a group and as individuals) have had on my life. Any of you that know me for more than a few workouts know I run my mouth (a little?) more than I should. I speak more often than I listen, but I am working on that thanks to feedback from many of you. I’ve read more books in the last 5 years than in the previous 20, no probably 30 years combined. Contrary to some opinions, I have gotten better at listening (which is not really necessarily saying much). I have taken criticism without taking it personal, although it often takes me longer than I would like to admit to get past the personal part but I eventually do get there. I have made my share of mistakes and then some. I’ve splashed in more puddles as an adult than I ever did as a child. I’ve stolen the dish soap from home to slide around on a slip n slide with a bunch of grown ass men and loved it. I’ve been to funerals with shovel flags. I’ve celebrated cancer milestones (mine and others) with shovel flags. I’ve run more hills in the middle of the night and gotten lost with a smile on my face because I knew my brothers would eventually find me during a really stupid race called the Mortimer. I’ve said the Pledge of Allegiance more often than probably any non-F3 person ever will. I have also been more open with a small group of men I call my Shieldlock than I have probably been with anyone else in my life other than my wife. I have been sharpened by some guy that calls me his Stone more times and in more ways than he will ever know.

I guess if I had to sum it up in a word, F3 has been TRANSFORMATIONAL for me. It has changed me and continues to change me. It has refined me as a leader and has helped me realize I have a lot to grow in that area still. It’s this ripple effect than I have been thinking about since reaching out to Dredd to Q at GasHouse a few weeks ago. The effect that so many of you have had on me can’t be understated in my opinion. I can’t imagine how different I would be without F3. Thankfully I won’t have to worry about that. Being thankful for the couple of HIMs that started F3 more than 10 years ago followed by the group of HIMs that helped us get off the ground here in GasHouse and then the literally dozens of HIMs that keep us going every day is something I hope I never get tired of or take for granted. Thank you for being part of this and keeping me on track. Thank you for being my guardrails.

This morning we did some exercises then ended with a COT. It was a normal Monday for me for the most part. If you were there, you know the general theme of what I wrote above. I added a few details that I have thought about during the day. Thanks for keeping this thing going. There is someone out there who doesn’t know it yet, but you just might save his life by continuing to post. Think about that tomorrow when your alarm goes off and you are considering fartsacking…..

SYITG-Whoopee