In the suffocating embrace of a sweltering morning, at a place known simply as the West End, a group of determined PAX embarked on a grueling regimen, their resolve tested by the oppressive heat and humidity. They began with a warm-up, performing Mountain Climbers, Arm Circles, Up Straddle Hops, and Good Mornings, awakening their bodies to the impending challenge.
The thang commenced with a sequence of exercises, each more taxing than the last. The participants began with three absolutions, then bear-crawled and jogged around the parking lot, their bodies already glistening with sweat.
Returning to the plank, they added six hand-release merkins to the mix, bear-crawled, performed Super Marios, and jogged again. The sequence continued, escalating in intensity: three absolutions, six hand-release merkins, nine star crunches. Bear crawl, Super Mario, crab walk, and another jog. A car interrupted their rhythm, but they pressed on, undeterred.
The sequence grew more complex: twelve side lunges were added, followed by a repeat due to another disruption. Then, fifteen Bobby Hurleys, bear crawl, Super Mario, lunge walk, and a shuffle around the lot. The repetitions continued, each set growing longer, more exhaustive: Floyd Planks joined the list, then more bear crawls, Super Marios, lunge walks, and shuffles. The participants moved through a relentless cycle of exertion, their muscles burning, lungs gasping for air.
Despite the obstacles, they persisted. Nine star crunches, twelve side lunges, fifteen Bobby Hurleys. Bear crawl, Caraoke, crab walk, Caraoke. The relentless rhythm of the workout mirrored the oscillating line of good and evil that Solzhenitsyn described, a testament to the endurance of the human spirit.
As they neared the end, the final sets brought together the accumulated exercises in a final push: absolution, hand-release merkins, star crunches, side lunges, Bobby Hurleys. Mary followed, with flutter kicks, pointers, Aussie snow angels, and reverse crunches.
Circle of Trust was the distillation of Solzhenitsyn’s message: “Don’t be an asshole.” A reminder that the struggle, the discipline, and the pain of the workout were not just physical trials but reflections of the inner battles each person faced. “The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart — and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained.”