Occasionally, I go to the gym.

The reason it’s occasionally, and not frequently, is that going to the gym to work out has become something I have to deliberately decide on, and plan out.  Going to the gym used to be automatic. I would wake up, have breakfast, wait forty-five minutes, and out the door I would go.  It’s not that I don’t exercise anymore.  That would never not be part of my routine.  It is simply more convenient to work out at home.

As a comparison, I relate the experience to that of attending a sporting event.  There’s a game nearby that one could attend without much travel.  The game might be entertaining, the crowd energetic, and the atmosphere stimulating.  But, you would still have to take the time to drive there, pay for parking and over-priced food, probably not have a great view, step over twenty-five people to use the bathroom, and likely be seated in a moderately uncomfortable spot. Or, you could stay at home, watch the game on your incredible television that cost a mere tenth of the price of the ticket, have a comfortable seat and view, use the bathroom at your convenience, and not ever have to deal with anyone.

Yes the comparison is slight stretch, as the act of going to the gym doesn’t usually cause one to occur significant expense.  Perhaps the act of going out to eat is a more comparable activity.  A decision still must be made to remove oneself from the conveniences of home, interact with strangers, and incur a time cost.  There is gain in either scenario, as the restaurant has the lack of prep time, lack of clean up, and expanded menu, and the gym has more weight training options, more cardio working selections, more space to move and workout, and showering facilities that won’t add to your utility costs.

In each of the above considerations, a deliberate decision must be made to engage outside of ones comfort zone.  When we choose a restaurant, or the gym, or shopping at the mall, or going to the grocery store, we have certain expectations about the kind of experience we will have.  In addition, we knowingly place ourselves in a place where others are capable of affecting us.

Sometimes, we choose a restaurant, or coffee shop, or gym, and someone does affect us.

Several weeks ago,  I chose to go to the gym.  I was enjoying my experience, it was a back and bis day, and I was feeling particularly powerful as I flexed, and curled, and satisfyingly broke down my muscles.  The sheen of sweat was formidable and the hormonal rush put me into a semi-euphoric state.  The mid-afternoon attendees were sparse and there was no wait for weights or a particular machine.

And then he strolled through the door.

I see this person often when I go to the gym.  Most people don’t leave an impression, but occasionally, certain people leave a lasting impression.  If you’ve been to the, or a, gym, with any frequency, particular people stand out.  There’s probably an older individual who doesn’t seem to know what to do with any of the machines or weights, but vigorously attacks them anyway.  There’s probably a teen to twenties girl, who is likely beautiful, that casually strolls on the treadmill while talking on the phone, and never breaks a sweat.  There is most likely a grunter, who attempts to lift as much as possible and to make innumerable loud guttural exclamations.   The person I am highlighting, though, is special for choice of attire, jeans.

I realize that people are free to wear whatever they wish, but wearing jeans in the gym seems, odd.  If one is intending to attend the gym directly after work, it would seem a small trouble to throw a pair of shorts and sneakers into the car, and change into them at the gym.  Trying to workout in beat up jeans and boots seems a bit cumbersome to me, but for this person, it was standard attire, every time I saw him at the gym, and thus put him on my radar of quirky gym people.

The choice of attire on this particular day didn’t deviate from his norm.  But his normal stomping from machine, to free weights, to water fountain, routine didn’t occur.  Instead, he entered the gym, mid-coversation, on an oversized phone. He held it screen facing the ceiling, and six inches from his rapidly moving mouth.  At first, being at the rear of the gym, I couldn’t immediately hear him or his dialogue.

However, lucky me, and the rest of the gym!  Instead of staying towards the front, out of the earshot of most, he starts weaving in and out of all the equipment in serpentine fashion.  He didn’t use any of the equipment.  He didn’t stretch.  He didn’t even make an athletic gesture.  He did, continue the conversation, which, incidentally, was on speaker phone and quite loud.

It would be one thing if this was a short conversation, perhaps one which lasted a minute or two.  What makes this incident particularly notable, is that for a full twenty minutes he continued this expletive-laden dialogue.  He stopped at a few irregular intervals, but for a bulk of the time, he continued his wanton meandering between machines, stationary bikes, and all the various implements on the gym floor.

I gritted my teeth, pushed through my workout, and annoyingly observed this scene take place.  All the while many questions burned in my mind.

Why couldn’t he finish the conversation in the car?

Why couldn’t he just stay in one place, say, at the front of the gym?

If he needed to pace, why not on the sidewalk in front of the building?

Why speaker phone?

Is this person really this oblivious to the effect he is having on other people?

Am I the only one bothered by this?

I finished my workout hurriedly.  I was, at this point, quite irritated. Every time I’ve seen this individual at the gym since then, I can’t help but think of this incident.  I can’t help but wonder if he had any clue about how his behavior affected the experience of myself, and all the others at the gym.

Some may say I’m only seeing the complexity in the scenario.  Some may say I’m being too socially critical.  Some may say I’m looking too deeply into a cost/benefit analysis of staying at home versus being out in public. Some may say I was too easily irritated by the man’s behavior.

Others might say, “You idiot! You could have avoided this whole nasty experience by having a pair of headphones and some music!”

It’s possible, if I had headphones and music, I may have avoided the effects of this negligent social behavior.  However, I wouldn’t have this story to tell.

Humbly Yours,

J