Yesterday I decided to go to the gym for the first time in about fourth months.
I went with some regularity for about a year, but then I started working more hours a week and went less frequently. Then I broke my foot and didn't go at all.
Yesterday the forecast said snow, and I thought, "I always hate interacting with people at the Y, this would be a good day to go. The snow in the forecast will keep everyone at home, and I'll have the treadmills and weight machines to myself."
To the contrary, the Y was really crowded. I couldn't get a treadmill, so, fighting a strong urge to leave, I used the weight machines. And the very first machine I was on this woman came up and asked if she could use the machine between my sets. She was very nice, and I did as she asked. When she was done she thanked me, and I thought, "That wasn't so bad. Maybe I was being silly."
I felt so good about this positive interaction that later when I saw a kid standing by my machine looking awkward I asked him, "Are you waiting for this one? I could let you use it between my sets?" He shook his head no, but I felt good anyway. The awkwardness was his and not mine.
I moved on to anther machine, one where you lay on your back and push up with your legs. As I began to do my thing, an older man, balding but with a ponytail and very muscular, walked by. "You know, you could probably add 45 to each side there and not even feel it," he said.
"Uhm. I just broke my foot recently, and I was scared that I might, uh, you know."
"Oh, yeah I was thinking you might say something like that, cause that's an unusually low amount of weight on that machine. But that's cool, that'll help your foot," and walked away, flexing in the mirror, stopping to ask another fairly thick man for a spot.
I got up, wiped down the machine, and left.
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