Happiness is at the bottom of the Box

My wife and I began our CrossFit journey in October of 2012. We had heard of this unique fitness experience from our friends and co-workers and decided to humor them at CrossFit 1st Due’s “bring a friend” night. We showed up that evening two months past the birth of our son with plenty of apprehension and baby weight to go around. What greeted us was nothing short of terrifying. When we walked in there was a guy doing ring muscle-ups in the corner, a row of humongous tractor tires, and letters in weird combinations on a whiteboard. I almost turned around and walked right out thanks to the sheer horror I saw unfolding in front of me.

I’m so thankful I stayed.


That first WOD kicked our backsides. We did not perform well and I was more than a little bit embarrassed by it. What was amazing though was that it didn’t matter. The folks I met were just happy I showed up. They celebrated the act of coming through the door. I didn’t realize it then, but that, in and of itself, is an accomplishment. I’ve used that as motivation ever since; when in doubt, just show up.

Ever since that first WOD, I’ve grown stronger and faster and leaner. Despite this, I still find myself sucking wind and laying on the floor at the end. I love that feeling. There is nothing like finding your limits physically or mentally and then pushing just a little bit further. There is nothing like leaving a sweat angel behind after you’ve given it all for an AMRAP 10 or a 3 RFT.

I’m convinced that the hard work in CrossFit is done on the floor. There are some great movements that take place off the ground or in the air but in my mind, those pale in comparison to the fundamentals on the ground. Can anyone deny the positive benefits of the classic push-up? What CrossFitter hasn’t felt the pure agony of hundreds of weighted sit-ups? Even the Olympic lifts are often successful because of a good stance, foot placement, and grounding.

The floor of the Box is where we celebrate our accomplishments and where we mourn our shortcomings. At our Box, we’ve had athletes collapse to the ground crying after WOD’s, both from frustration and from joy. We’ve had impromptu counseling sessions sitting on the floor talking about life’s greatest problems. We’ve laughed, we’ve raged, we’ve drank, we’ve reminisced…and all from the floor.

All of those things pale in comparison to the real reason that, for me, happiness is at the bottom of our Box. The real reason, is that I know when my son, Noah, is there in the Box with me, he’s at a home away from home. When my fellow athletes sit with him on the floor of the Box and play, I know Noah is being raised by a community of people who love him. When we jokingly have him do squats, I know that he is learning the importance of being fit. And I pray, when he sees his dad sweaty, laying on the floor of the Box, that he knows that his father loves him enough to get fit.

When I’m tired and exhausted and laying on the floor, I look up to see my son smiling back at me. It’s at that moment that I know happiness is at the bottom of the Box.