Flying high
Did you know Southwest airlines makes really “large” people buy two seats when they fly? My most recent plan ride was on United.
At first all I could think of was my discomfort. Is everyone as selfish as me, or do I win some kind of up-my-own-ass-Grammy? A sort of or egocentric Emmy.
An airport is a prison full of sense numbing intrusions and contradictory illusions. The mere notion that I am “insecure” upon entering, only to be deemed “secure” minutes later by a judge called “security” is laughable. The only freedom experienced in airport is by children yet to realize they are being herded by something called “travel”. If you screamed in an airport everyone would run from you, except of course, those meant to contain your cries. The ones controlling the herd no matter the cost.
The prison just shrinks and flies when you get to the plane, it doesn’t ever really leave.
The woman siting beside me right now is large. When I say “large”, I mean bigger than obese. When I say large, I mean she is suppose to be sitting next to me, but much of her is sitting on me.
At first I am inconvenienced and sort of writhing as the plane begins its accent. It’s a four hour journey I will hate because I am no small man, and my meager prison cell has been severely cut down due to the size of my cell mate. Then, like an alarm clock during a nightmare, it hits me and I wake up to the truth. She is far more uncomfortable than I have ever been in my entire life. I have no clue how she feels, and I have no right to be disagreeable right now.
This woman beside me, in my opinion, does not want sympathy or understanding or any other triviality she could be offered. In my mind, this very minute, she only wishes she wasn’t bigger than me. And at that moment I pray for her…but more so, I pray for everyone else.
Her legs intrude into my seat like water creeping higher and higher on the shore at high tide. Her arms are pinned to her sides like that of a T-rex, but her body does not allow them to be anywhere near her midsection, they are closer to mine. Her breath is so labored it sounds like she just tried to run a marathon while smoking seven cigars. She is hurting, and if your not doing something today to save her, and others like her, your no better than those profiting from her deadly lifestyle.
We could all chose to place blame directly upon her. I could mount an attack based off the extra pounds that have somehow found safe passage into my territorial bubble. I could sympathize with her, and excuse away the fact that she chose to eat the food that made her this way, that she could have set down her spoon at anytime. Or, I could take door number three, and blame you. I could and will, blame myself for not doing enough to help her and others like her.
We need more blame today. Those who go on about how placing blame helps no one, are always the ones who would have gotten the blame anyway. Somebody must pay the price for this hurting large woman sitting beside me.
We all deserve punishment, its just that some deserve more punishment than others.
There are those today controlling others with addictions called food. Simply really; flood society with intoxicants, sell moderation, give them pills to elevate side effects, and manipulate healthy into a fad. It’s profit mongers whoring misinformation by the barrel full that have primed this weak woman and others like her into this deranged state that she may never recover from. It’s fit people like you and I who keep our mouths shut that keep letting it happen.
A world where indulgence is expected, and injustice is accepted.
Yeah, I get it, your tired of me ranting about this same stuff day in and day out, but every time I sit next to a fat woman on a plane, every time I see a toddler who can’t stand because rolls of skin preclude his ever movement, every time I view a commercial geared at making life long addicts I become more and more hate-filled of this world and everything on it. The self medicated approach to life that hopefully makes death as pain free as possible. Thats it really, life to most, is only about avoiding pain? Our ancestors fought for numbness.
Shepard’s like me and like you are misleading the weak sheep like this woman whenever we do not fight ever single bit of injustice. Whenever we justify an excuse, we kill another human. Whenever we fail to be the example in front of those watching us, we kill another human. I have executed enough people for a million lifetimes. How about you?
Your right. The fat woman sitting beside me in this flying coffin has a responsibility to stop eating the drugs that are killing her. Currently, she is receiving her punishment for it. But thats not the point is it? The point is, as is often the case, blame is circular, and some people are born weak, others strong. The strong will always be burdened, or glorified depending on how you view it, by the weak they must save. Interestingly enough, few of us are strong all the time, if circumstances change the strong may easily become the weak and vice versa.
No the real point of the matter is; people die everyday, fat or not, sick or not, rich or not. What matters is that those with the information to prevent a life of suffering give it at every turn, no matter the cost, no matter the discomfort. The point is, if your no directly trying to eliminate all suffering in every way you know how….then your causing it.
I scribbled down my website on the napkin the stewardess gave me. I gave to the hurting woman saying, “I can help”. I think I was the only smile she saw on the plane. I pray she lets me help her. After, I think of other ways to help. Maybe we could petition, maybe we can riot, maybe we can run for office…maybe we can take the office over.
Strength:
Snatch pulls
5×2 @105% 1RM Snatch
Hang Clean
*Work up to one heavy rep
Supine rows
5xmax reps
Skill:
Work on something you suck at.
Post impression to comments.
Paul
I registered our team today. We are still one guy short but I was given a name and I have contacted him. Just waiting on a response. Super excited.
Thanks Melanie. I am excited too, it will be great.
Good post JB. Excited but sore for this WOD tonight.
Keep us posted on this lady. You need business cards for sure … Awesome to hear you reaching out a hand.
If I didn’t love you before, I do now. I wasn’t sure where you were going to go with this article and by the end I had tears in my eyes. Good for you to reach out to her!
Thanks for the kind words Sandy and Lauren…wish I could be that aware all the time…
ANd good to be back…missed my family here very much….even Honeycutt:)
9am did cool stuff. Most moved heavy weight and got PRs even after Chelsea….plus, a few killers got DU (which is RXD practice if you don’t have them by the way).
And as a side not, saw Mindy’s summer camp today…short time training, lots of progress….awesome to watch teenagers get so into CrossFit…
Thanks JB- these kids have made a LOT of progress and I’m really proud of how hard every single one of them has worked for the past 5 weeks. With just two weeks to go I know we’ll see some major PRs before their time is done.
RXd double under work should not come as a surprise. Most classes reviewed the pyramid of fitness last week during our skill day, and double unders fell under the met-con category, making it more foundational than other movements. I saw JB outside working with Shelby and a few others… he’s right, if you put in a lil bit of focused time you’ll get them!
I missed you too big guy! Glad you’re back.
Thanks jb. This is a constant struggle seeing many overweight diabetic patients on a daily basis – the more education that can be provided in any way – the sooner someone can be aware of their body state, understand how it is negatively affecting their health, & have the courage/help to make a change.
Hang Clean 120PR
Thanks for fighting the good fighr michelle
Great work, Nooners.
Heather – hooah for challenging yourself with the ladies bar today. A 20# PR is a 20# PR no matter the reason it took so long to try. Aaaand, I like that squat better in your socks.
Caleb – I envy your squat, for sure. You HAD that 2nd PR…eyes up, eyes up!!
Stephen – best catch in town at noon, no doubt! May not have earned you a PR today, but your progress is obvious. Good to see you. Been a couple of weeks.
Nate – big numbers even after a 4mile run!
Ty-Chuck-Melissa…thanks for the commentary.
Always a pleasure.
Thank goodness for this kind of knowledge I agree in every way jb!!
123 PR
140PR
235 PR
So cool seeing so many PR’s!!! LOVE IT!!!!
And to reiterate…love the post- JB. Pondered it a long time after- first wishing I could be more like that, then turned my focus to how I can be more like that. Very inspiring…
Nikki and Lunden….thanks…comments like that keep me writing even when i feel like noone is reading
I had the pleasure of training 3 classes today….there is no place like pcf…the people arw just that cool….and when i grow up….i wanna b like ben popplemen..
245
JB – or should I call you “soon to be Billy Ray Cyrus”??
Never grow up – just mature from our mistakes.
No PR today. Couldn’t get 140 outta the hole even w a dance. T-i need to master your full extension. Ben P- wanna learn that powerful hip pop. Min-wanna master believin “I will”.
Holly/Kim-awesome work tonight. Huge improvement on both your pulls and cleans. You can lift more than you think you can. A 40# PR says so!! Damn!
175 hang clean
LOVED trainin’ you 6:30′ers and watchin the classes before you. Lots of positive energy and tons of PRs. I agree with the above comments… you guys are awesome and a pleasure to train. Document those PRs so we have somewhere to work from next time!
235 hang clean
Btw I was very excited to have jb train 9:30
I was glad to see you fight for that weight in awesome green shoes….good 2 b home with the family
155 pr. Fun class tonight. Good to see jb again.
Ditto buddy….and nice job helping ur partner…i was playing weird stalker-trainer acting like i was doing mobility, a favorite of mine, and i overheard ur insruction….great job
195 PR.
Thanks Mindy for putting me on the spot last night. Though I get nervous as hell – I greatly appreciate the incite of everybody.