Age Ain’t Nothing But An “X Factor”…

I’m here to talk to you about age.

Carrie asked me to; it seems as though she feels me to be a qualified erudite on the topic of ‘no limitations’ (especially the silly ones that are often bound to the societal notion of what you should, shouldn’t, can or can’t do once you get to be a certain ‘number’ in years).

For the record, this is Brian.

If you don’t recognize my name, C2 has asked me to tell you that this where you can learn what you need to know about me: Who Is Brian?

Let me start by saying that I couldn’t be more enthralled with the whole “H-Mom” concept and worldwide movement.

Proud of my girl to be sure, but broader than that, I understand and agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment.

Nope, I’ve never squeezed a watermelon-sized human out my loins (thus, am not a Mom) but the magic of Carrie’s message is something every human needs to embrace…..

That YOU matter.

It’s just such babbling rhetoric to hear and see people talk with glowing resolve and falsified triumph about how magnificent they are because they chronically and constantly ‘put themselves second’.

This type of Martyr-ism and sacrificial lifestyle does no good for anyone; you least of all.  But your children, spouse and family are a very close second as ultimate victims of this flawed thinking.

Which is why, with this shot of testosterone to the otherwise feminine domain of the “H-Mom” world, I’m going to ask you to do something I’m positive C2 never has…. Share this week’s message with your husband.

Boyfriend.

Dad,

Son.

Whomever you think may need to hear what it is I have to say on the matter and resides on the masculine side of your world.

Because the movement Carrie’s created, most certainly targeted to Moms at large, is something we all should hear.

Make no mistake, I promise that everything I have to say will be directed and organized for C2’s cherished target readers – the Moms worldwide who have adopted my girls brilliant and much needed perspective.  But I also promise that the men in your life are in for a dose of something that will most certainly affect their lives and yours…

Let’s start with the photo up top of yours truly.

Taken 2 weeks ago, that pic (along with a few others) will be showcased in Men’s Fitness magazine later in 2011 alongside a story about my life as a boxer.

Moreover, the anomaly of it all.

The complete absurd irregularity of a man my age who still opts to step inside a ring and throw punches at ‘kids’ half his age.

For the record, my 3 sparring partners are:

Phil (age 20) – A gifted boxer with over 20 combined fights in mixed martial arts and boxing to go along with 8 years of dedicated training.

Max (age 22) – An incredible athlete who has 10 total mixed martial arts fights under his belt and is in the process of turning pro.

JF (age 18) – A regional mixed martial arts champion.

Also as a matter for the record, I’m 38… And old enough to have fathered all 3 of them.

The purpose of the Men’s Fitness story, as relayed to me by the editor, is to answer 2 fundamental questions about age:

Why I do what I do.

How I do what I do.

The ‘Why’ portion of the story is an interesting one to me.

Why do I still box?

To the “Champions of All Things Negative & Cynical”, I suppose the answer is easy – because

I’m approaching middle-age and use competitive combat sports as a way to somehow deny (or hope to deny) my age (and the recently found grey-shaded whiskers that have begun cascading through the bottom portion of my beard).

But the truth of it all is much more basic and far less contemptuous than that.
Why do I still box?  Because I can.
Understand that I was raised by a red-headed, Irish brawler of a Mom and a brusque, ‘call-it-as-I-see-it’ Sicilian Dad; 2 of the most loving people in the world who, for the most part, thought most of society was absolutely full of dog poop and that striving to ‘fit in’ was akin to committing suicide.

“The car ain’t broke until you turn off the engine for good, Brian”…. I can still hear my Dad’s voice grumbling that to me as young as 4 years old.

“If people don’t like what you’re doing with your life, tell them I said they can sit and rotate”… twanged my Mom with her gentle, but serious Irish tone.

For me, doing what you wanted in life, doing it well and forgetting about the ‘X Factors’ was just how I was raised.

‘X Factors’ like:

• Other people’s perception
• Proposed obstacles
• Extrinsic limitations
•  Age

Which brings me back full circle….

I box because I can; so, why not?

Sparring for 90-minutes (with 3 guys roughly half my age) is what I’m capable of.

Competing (and winning) against highly trained, well-conditioned fighters in their 20’s is within my scope of ‘possible’.

So again, “Why” for me, boils down to nothing more than ‘because it’s in my capacity to do so’.

Now “How”… “How” is decidedly more intriguing and leads to a larger insight into “Why”.
I’ll be back tomorrow with my thoughts on “How”…
 
Brian