Day 37 - Kuwait
Today after class I took Chris up on his offer to work out with him at the gym by the classroom. Chris is one of the students in the class, and a genuinely pleasant person. They must do something right in Texas because anyone I ever meet from Texas is nothing but sweet and polite.
We got to the gym and began working out. Chris is much fitter than I am and had no problems running on the treadmill. My cardio warmup was limited to about 5 minutes to get my heart pumping before hitting the weight room for my InnerFight workout. Today's circuit was the Butterfly. I managed to make it through the first two sections with little difficulty. The wide grip pull-ups were made possible by a Gravitron 2000 machine which offered some "assistance" - a counterbalancing weight which carried over half my body weight so that I could do the pull-ups. Sadly, by the time I rolled into the third section my arms gave out and I nearly cracked my skull with the 20-lb dumbbell in my left hand. (OK, I might be exaggerating here but it does make for a better story.)
So I didn't finish the third set as my arms and shoulders were quivering like jello. To atone for the failure I hopped back onto the elliptical trainer for a 10-minute run, which became 15 minutes with Chris running next to me. Chris wanted to go 30 minutes, and I should have pushed myself up to that. I'm still in the "figuring it out" stage, which means that with my 20-20 hindsight I need to make decisions for the next workout. So next time I will cool down with a minimum of 20 minutes and slowly work my way up to 30 minutes.
After getting fruit smoothies (thanks Chris!) I headed back to the hotel for a shower and some Skype time. I chatted with home for a while, and then called my soon-to-be-marathoner buddy Marty. Apparently Marty started his Saturday morning with a 20-mile run which he covered in 3 1/2 hours. (And I was happy to get in 3/4 mile on the elliptical.) We ended up chatting for nearly 45 minutes before he and his family had to get going with the rest of their day.
I ordered up some dinner, and decided to hit the books. To get a break from the room I headed down to Starbucks, grabbed a coffee and an overstuffed chair covered in purple velvet (It actually works with the decor...) and proceeded to get through several chapters of reading. Afterwards I headed back upstairs to Skype with home, and for the next 2 hours I chatted with my wife, kids, father (he's visiting up in Detroit for a week) and brother-in-law. I'm not sure whether that alleviated the homesickness or exacerbated it - I think a little bit of both.
Reflecting back on the day I see the theme was community. I was not designed to be a loner. God placed me in a setting where I participate in relationships which are mutually encouraging and mutually edifying. Whether it is in the immediate context of the students in class, Chris' encouragement at the gym, Marty's stories from home or the conversation with family, each relationship is an opportunity for me to encourage and to be encouraged, to refresh and to be refreshed. That's how God designed life to be: All for one and one for all (Philippians 2:1-4).
And while the emotional bonds and support are there, the physical contact is lacking. In fact one of my students today said that I looked like I needed a hug. No argument there, but I'll have to wait until I see my brother on Tuesday in Dubai.
Drop me a line, send me a note. I'd love to hear how your week has been!
We got to the gym and began working out. Chris is much fitter than I am and had no problems running on the treadmill. My cardio warmup was limited to about 5 minutes to get my heart pumping before hitting the weight room for my InnerFight workout. Today's circuit was the Butterfly. I managed to make it through the first two sections with little difficulty. The wide grip pull-ups were made possible by a Gravitron 2000 machine which offered some "assistance" - a counterbalancing weight which carried over half my body weight so that I could do the pull-ups. Sadly, by the time I rolled into the third section my arms gave out and I nearly cracked my skull with the 20-lb dumbbell in my left hand. (OK, I might be exaggerating here but it does make for a better story.)
So I didn't finish the third set as my arms and shoulders were quivering like jello. To atone for the failure I hopped back onto the elliptical trainer for a 10-minute run, which became 15 minutes with Chris running next to me. Chris wanted to go 30 minutes, and I should have pushed myself up to that. I'm still in the "figuring it out" stage, which means that with my 20-20 hindsight I need to make decisions for the next workout. So next time I will cool down with a minimum of 20 minutes and slowly work my way up to 30 minutes.
After getting fruit smoothies (thanks Chris!) I headed back to the hotel for a shower and some Skype time. I chatted with home for a while, and then called my soon-to-be-marathoner buddy Marty. Apparently Marty started his Saturday morning with a 20-mile run which he covered in 3 1/2 hours. (And I was happy to get in 3/4 mile on the elliptical.) We ended up chatting for nearly 45 minutes before he and his family had to get going with the rest of their day.
I ordered up some dinner, and decided to hit the books. To get a break from the room I headed down to Starbucks, grabbed a coffee and an overstuffed chair covered in purple velvet (It actually works with the decor...) and proceeded to get through several chapters of reading. Afterwards I headed back upstairs to Skype with home, and for the next 2 hours I chatted with my wife, kids, father (he's visiting up in Detroit for a week) and brother-in-law. I'm not sure whether that alleviated the homesickness or exacerbated it - I think a little bit of both.
Reflecting back on the day I see the theme was community. I was not designed to be a loner. God placed me in a setting where I participate in relationships which are mutually encouraging and mutually edifying. Whether it is in the immediate context of the students in class, Chris' encouragement at the gym, Marty's stories from home or the conversation with family, each relationship is an opportunity for me to encourage and to be encouraged, to refresh and to be refreshed. That's how God designed life to be: All for one and one for all (Philippians 2:1-4).
And while the emotional bonds and support are there, the physical contact is lacking. In fact one of my students today said that I looked like I needed a hug. No argument there, but I'll have to wait until I see my brother on Tuesday in Dubai.
Drop me a line, send me a note. I'd love to hear how your week has been!
