There's definitely a feeling of disconnection and isolation with living here at Hulk's -- a home that is by far the quietest one I have ever lived in my life!!! At night, the only sounds I hear are that of my four-legged friends snoring, Snickers breathing heavily and the fridge motor starting up once in awhile.
Sometimes it feels like life continues at full pace outside of the club walls and that inside here it goes in slow motion and on mute. But then, when the club opens up and members come in, it feels like it fills up with an overdose of life, so much energy, and that the life outside of our four walls is irrelevant and so incredibly small.
Today I ventured outside of the club to go to the local market. I had convinced myself that if I actually got out of bed and left the club that I'd treat myself to a lunch out tomorrow after my long run. So I went to the market, bought carrots, cucumbers, broccoli and medicine for my burnt hand. I only had a small handful of bills but with Snickers away for the weekend with my bank card, I knew this money was all the money I had on hand till his return. My meal tomorrow would be $8.
Upon arriving back at the club, I put my groceries into the fridge and opened up the doors for Free Train. One member showed up for training and when she arrived I was frantically searching the club. As one would, she asked me what was wrong. "I lost all my money somehow... how am I going to tell Snickers I lost all that money?!" I figured I had dropped it either inside the club or when returning from the market when I put my hands into my pockets to keep them warm. Perhaps when I took them out the money had slipped out. Regardless, I was rather stressed about it. "I lost it all!" I kept on saying. I thought about running back to the market to see if I had dropped it on the sidewalk but just then my member spotted it. It had dropped out of my pocket but beside the juice bar counter. I was so relieved. "Here it is... some of it", she said as she held up $20. I was so happy, so happy I flung open my arms and hugged her... hugged her a couple of times actually. The $20 was all of it though, not just some of it, and I honestly thought I had only $12 so I was pumped to know I had a whole extra $8 -- "that $8 is my lunch tomorrow!!!", I told her.
It was just her and I for Free Train and after my boxing I showed her some weight training exercises and then trained a bit with her. It wasn't until about 5pm that both of us actually started training so I told her she could stay later than the expected 6pm Free Train finish time. Around 7:30pm we finished training and got talking about healthy eating. I ended up sharing part of my dinner with her and then sending her home around 8:30pm with an oatmeal bake for her to enjoy tomorrow for breakfast. No sooner did she leave but then another female member and our common friend showed up together. They wanted to pick up a Hulk Smash jelly bracelet and drop off a donation for our ring, how sweet are they?! So very sweet.
By the time they left, it was now coming up to 10pm.
No sooner did the time reach 10:30pm but then there was tapping on our club's front doors. It was someone asking about the outreach program I kind of have started up but haven't yet officially launched. I'm trying to get a few sponsors for it and tonight a helper came answering word that I had put out. Tonight I headed out to my community work and I brought along the guy who had offered to help me. It was a good thing I brought him along too because one Korean ajjuma mistook me as offering "something else", if you know what I mean, and apparently I was in her "turf" so she went a bit nuts. Try having to explain that you're not a prostitute to a middle age woman who's pretty much spitting fire at you, easier said than done. Getting hit over the head with an umbrella wasn't exactly how I ever imagined this day ending. Should have weaved and thrown an upper cut or something... hahaha... just joking, well, not really.
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