Locker Room Community

We all travel between little pocket communities. There are people we know only within the context of our neighborhood or our workplace. One of the most intriguing to me is the community of the gym.


I have attending the same gym for the last three years. As I work out three to four times per week, usually at the same time, there are people that I see more frequently than some of my friends. I really don't know many of them, not even their names. I have given many of the regulars "gym names." There is Grunty, the Lion Princess, and Mr. Groomed-to-within-an-Inch-of-His-Life. We all nod at each other as we progress through our workouts.


In the locker room, it is a bit more intimate. I have had a few chats with the guys as we shave in the morning. Through conversations, and overheard conversations, I know a little bit more of the back stories.


There is one guy who always uses the locker next to mine. I have seen him several times a week for the last three years. We chat. I know some basic info about him. I just realized this morning, however, that I never asked his name. So while we were getting dressed today, we shook hands and swapped names.


It feels funny to say "Nice to meet you" to someone you've known for such a long time.

No Rest for the.....

Last night I had problems falling asleep. This happens to me periodically. Fortunately, it is not a frequent occurrence. It is hard to say exactly what the culprit was in this instance. It may have been excitement from class. My mind was certainly racing, and my usual calming routines weren't working. I also know that I had too much salt and too little water during the evening. I felt hot and uncomfortable, even though the air conditioning was clearly doing its task. I probably should have gotten up and drank water, but I was worried that might rouse me even more. Regardless, it is behind me; I just have to get myself through the day. At least I need to convince myself that is true. If I worry myself about having a second night of poor sleep, it will become a self fulfilling prophecy.

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