three hundred eighty eight

LIKE A SCENE FROM BETTER CALL SAUL

Recently I joined the local gym. I haven't used the equipment yet because I haven't found a quiet time. I have only use the sauna. After my home workout on my bench with ankle weights and dumbbells I try to walk ten miles weather permitting. 

Central Oregon is not over cast like Portland or Seattle. The mountains toward the coast block the weather fronts. It rains on the coast then when the fronts hit the mountains they turn to snow. The bulk of the snows hit the mountains and dissipate before they hit the high desert. We get winter temperatures and ice but the snowfall is usually light.

Even though the temperatures are well below freezing the outdoor food courts are open the year around. They have fire pits, locally brewed beer and food trucks. The 26 local marijuana  dispensaries supply the pot. I can tell people are baked but I rarely smell the smoke, I assume there is some new way to use it to get around smoking restrictions. No one is overly drunk or stoned, perhaps they have mastered the art of moderation, something foreign to me.

The gym is full of hard bodied young people, well young to me. I feel like a fat old guy but I can't see myself in the pool......yet. 

I love the bone warming heat and love to sweat. I hold my own in the secret contest no-one talks about but every guy plays. Grown men, like little boys turn everything into a competition so staying in longer than the next guy is very important. As we quietly take a break to get our heart beats back in the normal range we collectively watch the water aerobics class. 

There are 20-30 seniors in the class that lasts an hour so we all secretly know someone is peeing in the pool. I am just the guy who says it out loud. 

A small room full of sweating people without cell phones is very interesting. No-one usually talks, some meditate, some struggle with the heat but there is always that one man or woman who does erotic stretches. One young woman taunts the young guys with flirtatious stripper poses. As one of the "safe older guys" she feels free to have a conversation. Her youth makes me realize I am one of the safe old guys.

My body sweats buckets and my mind races. I try to hold back every wise ass comment that pops into my mind, but I do occasionally throw one out there. One day I asked the question; "why do men have nipples?" What an interesting day, I was surprised how much people have thought about this topic, who knew?

It is neutral ground. With only swimsuits our bodies are no secret. If we are out of shape it shows and if we are in shape it shows. Piercings, tattoos, hair and no hair are visible. No one sees your car, knows where you live, what you do for a living, anything about you politics or social status, just a room full of men and women sweating.

Occasionally people who know each other talk. One day a man was talking about his disappointment with his daughter because she was engaged to a man in retail. Others talk about their jobs from doctor to ditch digger. Occasionally a homeless guy buys a seven dollar day pass to get clean and warm.

I don't wear my glasses so I can't remember faces. I had a young woman call me by name and introduce me to her husband. Evidently we had had a meaningful conversation somewhere but I could not figure out who she was. If you do wear glasses in the sauna you look a little creepy. 

All in all I am enjoying this experience for the health benefits and interaction with strangers in a very unique setting. I may soon be one of the water aerobics club but I promise I'll try not to pee in the pool.