Sergeant Tony's Blog

I lied. I’ll admit it.

I was in the O’Hare Airport in Chicago and I lied to a sweet little old lady. I just couldn’t help myself.

I was on active duty and in uniform. (FYI, if you see men and women in an airport and they’re wearing a camouflaged uniform, they aren’t Marines. It’s against Marine Corps regulations for us to wear that uniform when we travel. We’ll either be in appropriate civilian clothes or in a dress uniform.)

I was wearing my Marine Corps dress uniform waiting for my flight. And this little old lady made me lie to her when she walked up to where I was sitting.

“Excuse me, Sergeant … ” she said. I was immediately impressed that a civilian knew my rank. Most don’t know the difference between a Private in the Marine Corps and a Rear Admiral in the Navy. (Actually there isn’t much difference! hahaha That’s for all of you squids out there!) Anyway, this little old lady knew my rank by looking at my uniform. Unusual.

I stood to my feet and said,”Yes, ma’am?” Marines are taught to stand up when speaking to others, as a sign of respect. My grandfather — my Big Dad — insisted that I stand to my feet when I spoke to an adult. “You will NOT sit on your backside when speaking to a grownup,” he taught me. “You’ll get on your feet, young sir!”

He also taught me to take off my hat when speaking to a grown up, especially a lady. He said that I could touch the brim of my hat and nod when greeting a boy or girl my age.

I miss that kind of elegance. (Thank you, Big Dad! You were indeed a gentleman’s gentleman.)

“You’re a Marine, aren’t you?” the sweet little old lady in the airport asked.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Oh, wonderful! Maybe you know my grandson, he’s a Marine too! Stationed in California. Maybe you know him,” she said excitedly with a broad smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.

“I might, ma’am.” I said, sure that I probably didn’t.

With great joy, and a face that beamed with excited anticipation, she told me her grandson’s name; Mike something or other.

I didn’t know him.

But that face of hers.

Full of joyful expectation and hope.

“Oh, yes ma’am, I know Mike!” I lied.

“YOU DO??? OH, THAT IS SOO WONDERFUL!!” exclaimed Mike’s grandmother. “I think he’s a very good Marine!” she said.

“Oh yes ma’am! Mike is a fine Marine!” I went on.

For the next five minutes I spun a yarn vague enough to describe just about any good Marine I knew and managed to convince Mike’s grandmother that he was indeed a fine Marine, one of the best. “A Marine’s Marine” we say.

I’m not endorsing lying. But seriously. I just couldn’t tell Mike’s grandmother the truth.

I recently read an article about a guy who had pledged to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth all day everyday for a week.

It was disastrous.

“Honey, what do you think of my new hairdo?” his wife asked.

“Well, it looks like crap.” he said.

That night, truth-teller-dude found out that the couch wasn’t that comfortable.

“Honey, do these jeans make my butt look big?” the wife asked.

“No, your big butt makes them jeans look big,” says truth-telling-dude.

“Hey daddy, here’s the picture I drew at school today! What do you think?” asked his 8 year old daughter.

“That’s not a very good picture of a house and that dog is waaay too big compared to the tree.” said the truth-teller-dude, who discovered how much little girls can cry.

Truth-teller-dude discovered that telling lies is required everyday.

You’re a liar and so am I. We have to be. The unadulterated truth would bring smooth social intercourse to a screeching halt, turning every office, classroom, boardroom, and living room into chaos and conflict. We tell the majority of our fibs to keep from hurting the other person’s feelings.

Lying to ourselves, though, is unacceptable.

Sometimes those lies are in the form of negative self talk. We call ourselves horrible things when we fail. Listen to some of my tennis buddies when they miss a shot or one of my golfing friends when they shank some ball into the street.

No negative self talk. Ever.

Sometimes those lies are the result of too much optimism. That’s right. It’s possible to be TOO optimistic. I know this to my own detriment. I’m sometimes too optimistic for my own good.

It’s one of the reasons I don’t gamble. I’d stay at the table and lose it all, assuming that I’m going to win at SOME point.

My optimism is both my best and worst quality. Being optimistic keeps you moving forward where victory is possible. No victory is possible without optimism and perseverance. But knowing when to retreat (or “attack in the opposite direction,” as Marines like to say) to fight another day is absolutely critical. “You gotta know when to hold, when to fold ‘em, when to walk away … ”

Optimism can be a flaw when it keeps you from seeing the reality of a hopeless situation, cutting your losses, and moving on. I’m horrible at that. I’ll keep hope living on life-support systems if I have to, when I really ought to pull the plug. I’ll stay the course far too long. I’ll go down with the ship. I need the realistic counsel of someone who has vision to see the red flags that I choose to ignore. We all need that kind of counsel from someone unbiased and balanced, but not a Negative Nellie.

Thing is, experience tells us that in the majority of cases, perseverance is a virtue that we should celebrate, demonstrate, and teach to others.

Perseverance with realism is what our goal should be. Lying to ourselves and not giving up when we just don’t have the courage or the will to quit, when quitting is the only right thing to do, is pretty unwise … kinda stupid.

Tell yourself the truth today. Be realistic. Perseverance because you lack the courage required to end something, or the courage to become pro-active and decisive, keeps you miserable, enslaved, and unhappy. Marking time. Going through the motions.

My mom reminded me this past Mother’s Day weekend that “life is short, so live it to the fullest … but life is also very very long … sometimes you just have to move on. Being miserable is a poor substitute for having the life you want.” She’s almost 80. I guess that gives her the right to tell me about stuff like that.

Keep your rose colored glasses! I’m keeping mine. I’ll take a road trip through life with an optimist over a pessimist any day!

But take a realistic look at your life and the road you’re on … what’s your life look like a year from now … five years from now? If you’re not headed where you want to be … then have the courage to make that the changes in your life right now that will result in the life you want then. It’s a myth to believe that your tomorrows will be fundamentally different if you don’t change anything about your todays. No lying to yourself. Seriously. Be honest.

I’m glad I lied to Mike’s Meemaw. It made her happy. It didn’t hurt her. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. But I really can’t lie to myself and neither should you.

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WEEKEND WARRIOR WORKOUT!

The WWW has been moved to June 5th. Please make a note of it. Come hell er high water, we’re going for it then!! More details to follow.

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SILENT AUCTION

The following are items that have been generously donated by Boot Campers and Friends of Boot Camp. Some items already have been sold. This list is on the USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP website on the Sergeant Tony’s Blog page too.Each item, once bid on, will be active for 5 days. At the end of the fifth day, the bidding on THAT item, and that item only, will close. Thank you so very very much.

To make a bid, email me with your bid and I’ll post it ASAP.
Item #1 Zoom Teeth Whitening – Boot Camper Dr. John Whittemore has donated this awesome service to be performed at his dental clinic: Germantown Dental Group. This is an $800 value.
First bid: 5/6/10Current highest bid: $200 (Karen Massey, 5/11/10)

Item #2 Pickwick Lake House – Boot Camper Lisa Taylor has donated a weekend at her Pickwick Fun House! A 3 bedroom/3 bath house close to the lake. There are pools, bbqs, weight room, volleyball, etc. This house rents for $250 a night. Minimum bid for the weekend is $400. If you want more info before bidding, I can put you in touch with Lisa. Thanks Lisa!
Current highest bid:

Item #3 Facial Chemical Peel donated by Dr. Todd Preston. This is a way to take 5-10 years off the appearance of your facial skin. Many plastic surgeons will charge upwards of $1200 for this procedure. Minimum bid is $100.
First bid 5/5/10 Current highest bid: $150 (Whitney Peattie 5/5/10) SOLD! Congratulations Whitney! Thank you to everyone who bid on this item.

Item #4 Piano’s Flowers and Gifts will donate 10% of your orders from now until Mother’s Day! This is soooo cool! Thanks David Strong and Nikki Strong. 901-345-7670.

Item #5 Garmin Nuvi 255w auto GPS. Brand new. Donated by brand new Boot Camper, Eileen Paternostro. Thank you Eileen!
First Bid: 5/6/10. Current highest bid: $50 (Jay Lawler 5/6/10)

Item #6 One Year of USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP. $525 value.
First Bid 5/5/10. Current highest bid: $450 (Alan Schaeffer – 5/10/10) SOLD! Congratulations Alan! Thank you to everyone who bid on this item!

Item #7 A screening with Ashley Hofeditz, a registered dietitian and nutritionist.
Current highest bid:

Item #8 An Awesome Basket of FIVE Bottles of Assorted Rodney Strong Wines donated by Karen Massey.
First Bid: 5/9/10. Current highest bid: $50 (Ashley Hofeditz – 5/9/10)

Item #9 Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses (black) donated by Dr. Alan Schaeffer. $150 value.
First bid: 5/5/10. Current highest bid: $50 (Cindy Rickert – 5/6/10) SOLD! Congratulations Cindy! Thank you to everyone who bid on this item.

Item #10 Beach House for Rent in Atlantic Beach, FL donated by Lou Geib.

Two bed/2.5 baths/pool in Atlantic Beach, Florida. Five minute walk to the beach. The town center with restaurants, nightlife, coffee shops, yoga studios, spa, art galleries and boutique shopping are within walking distance. A skateboard park, basketball courts, soccer fields, racquetball and tennis courts are across the street. Two nature preserves for hiking, canoeing and kayaking are within one mile. Nearby points of interest include St. Augustine, Amelia Island, TPC and Sawgrass PGA golf courses and the ATP tennis headquarters and courts.

Package is four days/three nights. If flying, in/out of Jacksonville. Dates of stay are negotiable with owner. Minimum bid is $300.
Current highest bid:

Item #11 a $200 Gift Certificate to Joseph’s (that wonderful store in Laurelwood Shopping Center!) donated by Barrie Wurzburg!
First Bid 5/5/10. Current highest bid: $125 (Andrew Forsdick) SOLD! Congratulations Andrew! Thanks to everyone who bid on this item.

Item #12 Mobile Pet Grooming $75 gift certificate- donated by Mathis Young of Aussie Pet Mobile. Entitled to a luxurious Aussie Pet Mobile 15 step wash and/or groom for your pet. The best part, they come to YOU! 1 on 1 with your pet with no cages and a less stressful environment.
First bid: 5/6/10. Current Highest Bid: $25 (Ashley Hofeditz, 5/6/10)

Item #13 Two tickets to a Grizzlies game for the 2010-2011 season. Donated by Sara Adams. The seats are the first row behind the players bench….so close you can read the tattoos on all the players arms and hear the plays that the coaches make! Game of their choice!
First bid: 5/6/10. Current highest bid: $60 (Alan Schaeffer – 5/9/10)

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO DONATE? GOODS? SERVICES? Questions about the above?

Want to make a bid?

Email me at TonyLudlow@aol.com

Thanks everyone for participating in this!

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HAVE YOU BEEN A BOOT CAMPER IN GOOD STANDING FROM October 2009 to now?

(Good standing means that you were paid up for those months … and hopefully you attended regularly, though attendance is not part of this question.)

Contact me!

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TUESDAY & THURSDAY EVENING CLASS

The Tuesday and Thursday evening classes meet at St. Agnes’ track. These are cardio (walking/jogging/running) workouts and they begin at 5:45 PM.

St. Agnes is at the corner of Walnut Grove and Mendenhall.

Should the St. Agnes track be occupied or the field being used, making the track unavailable to us, we’ll go to St. Mary’s track, at Walnut Grove and Perkins.

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RAMPED AND AMP’ED!

USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP is out of hibernation ramped up! Several new workouts (The Shamrock, The Jack Bauer Workout Hour, The M-16 Rifle Workout, BOGA, and Bo-Metrix, to name a few) have been added and some of you are wanting YOUR new favorite to be the workout EVERY DAY! hahahaha That’s awesome!

This month we’ll be returning to the U of M for “Mt. Fuji” workouts at 0530 on May 20 and 27th.

This morning we had an awesome M-16 Rifle Workout!

The Tuesday and Thursday evening classes are at the track at St. Agnes on Walnut Grove. (Actually behind St. Dominic)

GET SOME Y’ALL!!

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BOOT CAMP DISCOUNTS AND FACEBOOK EXPERIMENT!

So far this experiment has been pretty amazing!
Here’s how it works!

Make a Facebook status update and get a discount!

For every status update that you make that references:
“USMC Fitness Boot Camp,”
“Sgt. Tony’s Boot Camp,”
“Tony’s Boot Camp,”
or something similar, you can take $2.50 off your reenlistment fee!
Up to $20 off for any given month!

Your status update has to be a specific reference to USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP or to me specifically by name.

“Great Boot Camp workout with Sgt. Tony this morning!” is good!
“I love USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP!” is good!
“I love Sgt. Tony and his Boot Camp ROCKS!!” is REALLY good!

You get the idea! Use your own wording and personality, just include the specifics.

Restrict yourself to just one of these status updates per day. You don’t want 8 status updates in a row going out on the same day!

So log on and get started now!

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If you’d like to lose weight. Go to www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com

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What would you do if money were not an issue, fear were not a factor, and failure were not an option?

To your optimum health and fitness!

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow

USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
Mailing address: 4888 Southern Ave., Memphis, TN 38117
Cell Phone: 901-644-0145
www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com

http://www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com/esuite/home/combatchallenge/