Perhaps the greatest tragedy of being human isn't that we eventually die, but that we spend so much of our lives learning how to live.
State College, PA
Joined November 2016
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π― R Γ D N Ξ Y R Ξ M I X retweeted
Fucking easy work bro. The Mog is all about Aura. The muscles are just to have something to do.
THE MONSTER I CREATED
There was a time in my life when I felt small. Not physically, necessarily, but in all the ways that matter when you're trying to find your place in the world.
I wanted to be stronger. More attractive. More confident. I wanted to walk into a room and feel that I belonged there, rather than wonder whether anyone even noticed me.
For much of my life, I carried those feelings quietly.
Then, a few years ago, I decided to change.
What started as an effort to improve my health became something much bigger. I discovered that I could transform myself in ways I never imagined possible. I could build muscle, develop strength, and create a physique that the younger version of me would have admired enormously.
And I loved it. I still do.
There's something deeply satisfying about looking in the mirror and seeing the results of years of determination staring back at you.
But I've discovered something else along the way.
You can build an extraordinary amount of muscle without necessarily becoming any less vulnerable.
The insecurities don't simply disappear. The old memories remain. The longing to be admired, appreciated, and loved doesn't vanish just because you've built bigger shoulders and stronger arms.
Sometimes I think I've spent these last few years building a suit of armor around the man I've always been.
And perhaps that's exactly what I've done.
But I'm beginning to understand that the purpose of that armor isn't to hide the man underneath it.
It's to give him the courage to finally be himself.
After nearly seven decades of life, I'm still changing. Still building. Still discovering who I am and who I want to become.
I want to be formidable. I want to be beautiful. I make no apologies for either ambition.
But I also want to remain kind, compassionate, and capable of making other people feel valued in ways that I once desperately wished someone would make me feel.
Because the greatest strength I've discovered isn't the ability to become a monster.
It's the ability to become one without losing my humanity.
π― R Γ D N Ξ Y R Ξ M I X retweeted
Sat yesterday. Bedside. With a wife. Married 56 years to a tough as nails old guy. A fighter. But clearly losing his last match. Bad heart. Bad infection. Kidneys failed. Breathing for him.
She understood he fought and was losing anyway. She sobbed as she went through her ambivalence with me. She didnβt want to let go. She didnβt want him to suffer. Heβd be so mad if he knew all of the agressive things we were doing to him. Make him comfortable. Let him go HOME.
She had no one to sit the watch with her. So I did. Held her while she sobbed and watch the light in her person go back to the source.
It didnβt take long. Delayed me by a bit of time but I think it was the MOST important thing I did all day.
Iβve long since learned very directly my limitations on life and death in my job. I know I wonβt win every case, even if I always want to.
And when the case is lost β¦ The only thing left for the heart of the healer is to sit with the pain of those that love and remain and carry on. There is value there. Itβs a simple thing, really.
When hope is gone, all that is left is love.
Branch Warren
Born February 28, 1975 β now 51 years old.
Height: approximately 5'6".
Competition weight: roughly 245β255 pounds.
His biggest achievements:
2009 Mr. Olympia: Second place, behind Jay Cutler.
2011 Arnold Classic: Champion.
2012 Arnold Classic: Champion again, following a serious quadriceps injury.
Known for exceptionally intense training at Metroflex Gym in Texas, often alongside Johnnie Jackson.
A masterpiece of anatomy, sculpted by iron, discipline, and relentless determination. Art isn't always drawn on paper. Sometimes it's built in the gym.
THE NOISE INSIDE
Sometimes the loudest noise in our lives is the noise nobody else can hear.
The memories. The regrets. The things left unsaid. The worries about tomorrow and the things from yesterday we can't seem to let go of.
We all carry more inside us than the world will ever know.
And sometimes, the people who seem the happiest are fighting the loudest battles within themselves.
So be kind. Be patient. And remember that everyone you meet is carrying a story you know nothing about.
Sometimes a little kindness is enough to quiet the noise.
THE LIGHT WAS ALWAYS THERE βοΈ
I've spent 69 years becoming the man I am today.
Some of those years were wonderful. Others tested me in ways I never imagined.
But I've learned something along the way.
Life doesn't stop offering us opportunities to become something greater just because we're getting older.
Three years ago, I decided to change my life. What began as an effort to rebuild my body became something much bigger.
I discovered strength I didn't know I had. Discipline I didn't know I was capable of. And a passion for living that I thought might have faded with age.
Today, at 69, I'm stronger, healthier, and more determined than I've been in decades.
And, if I may be just a little vain, I think I'm looking better, too. π
But the greatest transformation hasn't been physical.
It's been learning to believe in myself again.
I still have dreams. I still have ambitions. I still wake up every morning excited about what I might accomplish.
And perhaps the most beautiful realization of all is that I don't have to be young to experience the joy of becoming someone new.
The years haven't extinguished my light.
They've taught me how to let it shine.
And I'm nowhere near finished. βοΈ
