What quote am I vibing? “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt
Road Day: 26
Found Him! Count: 6
Trucks I Pulled with a Rope: 1
Another wonderful day! I got to explore yet another thing that I am obsessed with in Rapid City - the President sculptures. There is a sculpture for every single President (Obama sadly hasn't been unveiled yet) - they are on all the street corners downtown and it is an absolute delight. The artists worked hard to research each man and find a unique perspective to give each statue. I was excited to find Teddy, but I was fascinated by each one that I came across.
I also spent the afternoon working downtown - lunch at Tally's Silver Spoon which was delicious. Some time in Main Street Square, and a couple hours in Alternative Fuel Coffee. After I logged off, and did some Presidential handshaking, it was time for a personal training session with Nikki at Hurricane Fitness!
Nikki is a trainer and strongman coach - and is, in fact, officially the strongest woman in South Dakota and Nebraska. The opportunity to train with her in upper body strength was such a gift. She is an intuitive trainer and tapped into my abilities. Made me feel strong.
After our session, I sat in on her strongman class - where I pulled a damn truck with a rope. (Video below.)
Every person that I met tonight floored me with the strength that they wield, and the passion and support that they convey. They are the man in the arena. Doing the things. Marred by dust and sweat. The strongman life may not be the life for me, but having the chance to taste how it feels to surprise yourself with your own strength was a gift that I'll take with me on the rest of my journey.
Comments