A Church Connection

The picture above is of my office.  It was taken during the summer, which explains the air conditioner in one window and the other window being open. This was about three years ago too, because it doesn't quite look like that anymore. "Why does she have a picture of her job?" you may be wondering.  I'll explain the connection in a moment.

Reggie came in for awhile to explain that he has to have surgery on his knee.  It's going to take a few months for him to heal.  "Where are all the guys?" he asked.  Alan and I explained the disappearance of most of them, but it is odd.  I've never seen a time when so many guys have gone MIA at once.  The women outnumbered the men in the gym tonight, so much so that Alan cracked, "It's like being at Curves."

Mike and Igor were there, and Emmanuel came in a little later, but none of them sparred.  Emmanuel was accompanied by a young man whom I was surprised to see.  It was Lavelle, one of the teenagers who attends my church.  When I told Alan the connection between Lavelle and I, Alan asked, "How does he know Emmanuel?"  I learned that Emmanuel is Lavelle's uncle.  Emmanuel held pads for his nephew, as well as for Brandy, Melinda, and Igor. 

Tall Sarah, Brandy, and myself did another round robin session of boxing.  Sarah banged me on the top of my head.  It didn't hurt very much, but it did surprise me.  I was very sluggish during the first round I had with her, and Alan noticed.  "Grab her arms!" he ordered each time Sarah would batter me with bunches of punches.  I stopped for a second during the round and said, "It's hard!" and Reggie laughed.  One of Sarah's bombs decked me in my right eye; I wasn't seeing well out of that eye for a few moments afterwards.

It was a little easier to get more punches in on Brandy, but she started off throwing bombs, some of which caught me right in the face.  Brandy hesitated a bit, and Alan told her, "Hillari's waiting for you to come in so she can throw punches.  Throw your jab all the way out!"  I took a few good hard shots to my side, and one to my chest (in a sensitive spot, guess where).  When Sarah got back in for another go-round, Alan told me, "Now fight her like you did Brandy."  Eh, I couldn't exactly do it.  I often joke that I haven't been this short for this long to not know how to take somebody out who's bigger and taller, but Sarah got the better of me. 

Brandy said she was going to sign up for the Golden Gloves later this week.  Alan believes that she could do well.  I worry because I know she was doing fitness (aerobic) boxing before, and that did not include sparring.  I also know that the female fighters at the Gloves can be just as vicious, if not more so, than the males who compete there.  "Whoever taught her before did good in teaching her how to stand and how to keep her hands up.  She could fight as a novice," Alan pointed out. 

I really need to get back on my exercising outside of the ring.  The sluggishness I experienced while sparring with Sarah was one hint that I should.  The dragging around I did this past Saturday was another.  Then I learned that one of my aunts had a light stroke.  She's okay now, although she has to walk with a cane.  Strokes seem to be another health condition that runs in my family.  My maternal grandfather died not long after having one in 1984.  My dad had one back in 2000; his health was never quite the same after that happened, and it went into a slow decline until he died in 2004.  A couple of years ago, after having my blood pressure checked at a clinic, I was told, "It's a little high.  You seem like an active person.  I sure wouldn't want to see you stroke out."  Believe me, I don't want to see that either.  Exercise helps with prevention of strokes I've heard, so I'll do more of that.