THE COST OF BEING A HERO

Garage Squats, Deadlifts and Good Bye to a HERO

Hey brother today's bar session went a little better even though I only slept about 3-4 hours last night.  Sleep has not been a luxury since I began this journey and I am not sure why yet. I know it will take my body a few weeks to get accustomed to having heavy weight on it daily but I think this sleep thing is more about deeper issues. We will see! I tried squatting every day last year and my goal was to go heavy every day and no less than body weight (210#) but I only made it about 4 months.  It's funny once I missed a day or two it was easy to make excuses and just quit.  Before I knew it I hadn't followed through with my goal for days.  This time is different.  This time I will not go under 300# in a Back Sqt and then there's you too brother.  So it looks like we're in this together!. Today I did  Box Squat's to a 16" box with a pause at bottom, 135# x 5, 185# x 5, 225# x 3, 255# x 3, 295# x 1, 325# x 1....then Deadlifts cause I was still pissed about yesterday...135# x 5, 225# x 5, 275# x 3, 315# x 1, 365# x 1, 385# x 1.  Stopped there...still have Sun and then I will add up the weeks total....Rach took a picture at the 385# DL.  (I didn't see that big ol' belly earlier today, it swallowed my belt)

   Tomorrow we are heading back to Groveland but we will be going to Mead Gardens first.  I need to pay my respects and say good bye to one of the best Chiefs I have worked with in my career here.  The day i found out Chris was so sick I doubled over in tears and then got really pissed.  As usual I had a few choice words with God!...I tend to take it out on Him when I am hurt, scared, lonely or in pain...I am so glad He doesn't take me seriously!  Rach and I were going to a concert in Columbia,SC  a few weeks back and my plans were to go see him and spend the day with him.  That didn't happen though because Chris passed the day before I was heading up there.  I kick myself for not just going when I found out he was sick!  Shakey I am going to share a story about what kind of man Chris Growley was...About my 10th year in the job I was at a friends house one night at a party in the country, I walk outside and hear this ungodly screaming, people yelling down the dirt road and through the truck lights I see people running everywhere...then I start hearing my name being yelled out so I run down to where I see all the people.  What I ran too will never leave my heart or mind.  People are in a circle around a small body, they are screaming, yelling crying and so on and they start grabbing me begging me to save his life.  What happened was, a friend accidentally ran over his son with his semi truck,.. so I do what we do.... I start CPR and it seems like forever before anyone shows up and when they do I am covered in blood and body pieces, then the ambulance grabs me to ride in and I continue doing CPR all the way to the hospital and then in the hospital until the Dr calls him.  Needless to say I was a mess cause this was a friends son and the whole place was packed with family  That night was horrible.  Next day I go to shift at Sta 50 and my mind is everywhere but there. I am heart broken and just a mess.  The tones go off and our first call is AUTO VS CHILD!...I won't go into this call, but Chris was there and he saw me and they way I was acting during that call., When we got back to 50 he pulled me in the office and asked what was wrong..I told him the story of last night and as I am telling him he is BALLING...a short time later he sent me home and told me to take as much time as i needed.  Then he called me every day to see how i was.This man cared about his guys. Ch.Growley LOVED his guys!  and we would run through walls for him.  I miss him Shakey.  Sorry to ramble on but I needed to share that. So tomorrow I will think of other fond memories of my friend and then I will say "good bye" to another HERO I have been honored and blessed to have worked with.  Then I will head to my garage and squat.  Peace to you Brother....Bull