A worthwhile investment

A worthwhile investment

The late afternoon rolls in and my work gets sloppy. I call it and get changed.

I signed up to a new gym down the road. It’s 4-6 minutes walk depending on the traffic.

The afternoon is beautiful. I go down the other street, not mine the one on the other side of the block.

I get there and the girl reminds me they close at 5:00. No problem.

I keep it simple. 50 dips, 50 pull-ups, 50 kettlebell swings. Enough to get the blood flowing.

Two guys I know are there. One not so well, actually, both not so well. But one better than the other. I remember him telling me how good he was years ago. Things have changed.

After the pull-ups and dips I walk around the room a few times carrying two heavy kettlebells. Heavier than the one I was using for swings.

I look at myself in the mirror. I tell myself I look good. And laugh a little inside. This is beautiful. It’s late afternoon, this gym is on the bay, has natural lighting from the sun and there’s an early summer breeze.

There’s music but I’m not listening to it. I watch the clock and get on the bike with 20-minutes before close. It’s a fancy one with the electric gears. Too fancy.

7-minutes of 45-seconds easy, 15-seconds hard. Dave and I used to do these kinds of sessions all the time. There’s a reason. They feel good.

The place closes in 10-minutes but I bought goggles to get in the pool. The girl at the pool entrance tells me they close at 5:00. I ask.

What time is it?

4:52.

Thank you.

You can go in but we shut at 5:00.

Thank you.

It’s 4:55 by the time I get in the water. In the water there’s nothing. Nothing except my limbs, breath and thoughts. That’s where I got this post from.

That’s where I realised I’d made a worthy investment. $24 per week is nothing if I get this feeling when I want.

When I got home I told everyone. Sent them voice messages.

I signed up to a new gym. I haven’t swam laps in a decade. Until today. And I can’t wait to do it again.