The Room
In the room, there are no thoughts of girlfriends, bills, traffic, problems. The room is a haven; it rejuvenates and fills the soul. You test yourself as you can test yourself in no other way. In the room, no one has a nicer car, a hotter girlfriend, a better job, a bigger dick… you are one, yet you stay an individual. The room transforms every soul that walks through it’s doors, if for no other reason than the comraderie that you can only receive when one man bares his soul and leaves his heart. You trust all the other souls to test you, yet keep you safe. As those other souls trust you.
As I enter the room I know I’m in “my place”
Sometimes I walk through the door and hear the echo of a silent room. Even when the room is empty, there is an aura about it. The room feels full of the souls of the men who have sweat, bled, cried, puked, rejoiced, and sulked. The room has been witness to all of these things from me. It’s a special place.
Sometimes I walk through the door and immediately hear the clamour of young men and women, boys and girls. The room welcomes them also, though for a different reason. The room is not the playground or the streets. The room will teach them how to accomplish greater things. It will show them how to accept themselves and their talents and it will build their talents. In the process it builds their fragile self-esteems. The room will teach them to rise above the pettiness of the playground. The young are safe there, they don’t hear mom and dad argue. They don’t see the drugs and sex. The room is their safe haven and place to grow.
Nights that the room is full, the aura is different. The room prides itself on being alive and young men go there to forge themselves as iron sharpens iron. Sweat is a given, blood is typical, tears are accepted. The room becomes cramped and there is little space. You’re welcomed in; high fives, slaps on the back, hugs and handshakes. You take a deep breath and exhale the outside world. You change your clothes and decide on your battle attire. The battle attire ranges from a full suit of pads to as little as a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. You walk onto the sea of blue. You find another that is there to test himself. You slap hands and it begins. It becomes a blur… you’ve trained and practiced. This test is an experience because it is a gauge of what you’ve learned, but more importantly an opportunity to continue to learn.
I walked into the room one day straight out of jail, not knowing the impact it would have on me. My good friend had told me to find a hobby, and after a weekend in the pokey I realized it was a good idea. I walked in that day and a young man who has become a friend showed me that I knew nothing. A small asian man who weighed about 140 pounds, I weighed almost 300 pounds. That very night, I went out to a bar, got into a fight and was injured for 3 months because of it, for the room had not had a chance to transform me. When I was healed, though, I went back. That was 3 years ago this fall. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
To the room and the memories… iron sharpens iron…
