Tough Guy Book Club is more than just a bunch of guys meeting at the pub once a month. We do a lot of other stuff outside of chapter meetings of course, and one of those things is our monthly challenge. But, since we are a book club that meets at the pub, sometimes it’s good to make sure to get outside to do something other than just bending elbows. That’s why the challenge for May was straight arms.
The straight arms challenge instructed Goons to do something together without alcohol then chuck a photo in our Facebook group with the hashtag #straightarms. Goons could do anything they wanted, just with no booze allowed. Take a walk, kick a ball, look at the ocean, hell, have a cup of coffee. Just do something without drinking.
In a society that uses alcohol as a social lubricant, especially for guys, it can feel weird inviting another man out for an activity that isn’t going to the pub. But that’s kind of the point of the challenge. Get out of the comfort zone a little bit while also giving the liver a day off.
At our core, we’re still a book club that meets at the pub. That’s fun. We all enjoy it. We like having a couple beers and talking loudly about books. In fact, we’re damn good at it. But doing stuff outside of the pub was a good way to find out what else we’re all good at.
And the @straightarms challenge saw some tough stuff happening between Goons. Groups of Goons were seen on bikes, on the golf course, or just taking over their local coffee shop or walking trail. Some Goons broke out the instruments and had a jam, others braved the Autumn weather at the beach. TGBC members get creative when they’re not allowed to go to the pub.
In typical Tough Guy fashion, some of the guys decided to combine the #straightarms challenge with doing a good thing. We had some guys donating blood together and others teaming up to help with another’s grandmother’s garden. Not a bad effort at all.
Although it was #straightarms month, plenty of club members still got together for a beer or two as well. There’s nothing wrong with hitting the pub with your mates. But the #straightarms challenge also helps everyone remember there are things to do with guys other than the pub. The challenge was also a good opportunity to make friends outside of the regular chapter meeting. Yeah, talking books is great, but a lot of Goons start going to club to make new friends. We’re all busy, so it’s hard to find an excuse to meet up outside of the regular meetings. Sometimes you need an excuse like the monthly challenge to force you to meet up.
Getting involved in the TGBC monthly challenge is always a little bit different, a bunch of fun, and also pretty rewarding. We announce the challenge at chapter meetings and then again on Facebook a couple days after. Be sure to pay attention and get involved in the next one.
Remember you can’t read a book if you’ve had too many, drink responsibly or else.
