Sweaty "Bro" Hugs

The worst part of my school year schedule is I really can't make my favorite workout: the Harvard Stadium workout.  I also miss the sweaty hugs from Brogan and Bojan (or, as I call them, sweaty Bro hugs)

Last week I went further than I expected and this week I pushed it further still.  Today the Harvard football team was out doing their practices and drills.  The thing is, by the time they started at 6 am, a lot of the November Project folks were well into their workouts.  Whether it was the guys doing push ups on the stairs and then frog hopping up the sections to slow people like me trying to get in before the main crowd showed up, it was a bustling place this morning.

Today was an interesting play list as Chaka Kahn's "I'm Every Woman" came on, so I hit the genius button.  The hits, as they say, kept coming and kept inspiring.  Imagine Dragons "Fallen" and Guster's "Do You Love Me" set an up tempo beat for me.  But a few songs later came something a bit mellower but even more inspiration pumping for me: Matisyahu's "Exaltation:"

"Performing mighty deeds and making new things, sowing righteousness and creating healing
He spoke, the world came into being, Master of praise renews each day....."

There I am with a few hundred sweaty friendly folks performing a mighty deed, we are treating our bodies like temple instead of a tent honoring our abilities and encouraging others to honor their abilities as well.  As the song says, we are building back the temple one brick at a time.  Each time someone lifts a foot to go up a stair when their legs feel like jelly, each time someone gets out of bed instead of hitting snooze and rolling over to go back to sleep.

It doesn't just happen in Harvard Stadium.  I witnessed it all the way home when I saw cyclists out in the early morning or runners with easy strides and joggers laboring for the next step before slowing to a walk.  

My reward is that I get sweaty bro hugs for a few more weeks before life takes over again.  Perhaps I can find some folks that will meet up with me in the afternoons/early evening to attack the stadium when September rolls around.  Maybe I'll find some folks to show up locally and climb the bleachers at the local little league fields.  I don't know but I know I don't want this feeling to ever go away again.