Inspiration

I have to admit it. This morning, I had a less than enthusiastic attitude when I walked into the gym. I was tired, irritable, and my muscles ached slightly from an over-zealous training session a couple days earlier. It was all I could do to drag myself in there, but as I was thinking about how I’d rather be at Starbucks, I saw Jack* and things began to shift.

I’ve been a member of my gym for over two years now, and almost every time go, I see Jack. I think he’s at the gym for a workout just about every day--and every day he’s smiling and chatting it up with his fellow ’regulars.’ Being the introvert that I am, I’ve only chatted with Jack a couple of times, but each time I felt a little flattered that he chose to speak to me, to include me in his circle of gym friends--even if it was for a brief moment. Today, however, Jack was focused more on his workout than chit chat. Despite being on the elliptical machine next to mine, he kept the talking to a minimum and got right to work. I peddled along beside him, feeling quite proud to be working out with Jack. (OK, so we weren’t actually working out together, but it was close enough.) After Jack and I finished on the elliptical, I headed to the treadmills while he stopped off for a quick go on the recumbent bike. Once finished there, Jack joined me on the mills. This time, he was a few machines away, but it didn’t matter. I could still keep my eye on him. As I plugged along attempting to finish my mileage, Jack busied himself with intervals. Walk two minutes, jog five, walk one, jog seven, etc. Out of the corner of my eye, I marveled at him. His stamina, his charm, his dedication to keeping fit, all worthy of admiration. And this morning, by ‘working out’ with Jack, my attitude began to change. Soon, I didn’t dread the rest of my run, but rather, I reveled in it. I was no longer irritable, I was inspired. However, I did have one regret as I left the gym: that I hadn’t wished Jack a happy birthday last week--when he turned 81.

*Name has been changed.