The Gym and ‘It’

I’ve taken a long time to hit the <Publish> button on this post because I’m worried that you will think I have made this up but I haven’t.

I’m not going to beat around the bush and leave you guessing my age – I’m 48 (and a half.)  I have a few crow’s feet starting to show around my eyes, a couple of grey hairs and preening takes longer than it used to so it’s fair to say I am one of the more maturer members of the gym having returned to all the huffing and puffing after a very long absence.

I don’t feel too bad about that really; I’ll show the youngsters that I’ve still got ‘it’.  ‘It’ seems to be heading south these days and not doing as it’s told but then again that’s why I’m at the gym in the first place.  I’ve got to know my fellow huffers and puffers over the months and one guy in particular I must tell you about.  He is certainly no Spring chicken himself.  He shuts his eyes on the rowing machine and imagines he’s rowing across the Tasman Sea.  I find it hard to imagine anything with all the loud music and grunting going on in the place. Sometimes he uses the cross-trainer.  I don’t think he closes his eyes on that.  I jump straight on the treadmill which faces a purple brick wall so I can’t see anything.  I also listen to my own music – just like most other gym users.  Which leads me to the question, why play such head-smashing music when no one wants to listen to it? Back to the Tasman Rower.  It’s funny but I can feel his eyes burning on me when I’m on the treadmill – just like I can anyone else who happens to be using the cross trainers behind me.  I think I’m paranoid.

We finally decided the time was right to introduce ourselves to each other and after doing away with a few pleasantries, Tasman Rower says to me “perving on your backside is the only thing that keeps me going.”  I’ll just let that hang in the air for a moment….and repeat his EXACT words……….

“perving on your backside is the only thing that keeps me going”.

Whaaaat!  Do I slap him? Scream ‘pervert’? Laugh? Accept it as a complement? Tell him that I’ve actually been perving on him all this time? (which I hadn’t!)

I reckon you all have your own opinion as to what I did or should have done.  The comment was intended as light hearted banter between mature adults and was delivered in that Aussie mateship kind of way.  Had I been younger, I would have found it extremely offensive, the incident would have been reported to the gym manager and the Tasman Rower would have been done for harassment or something similar.

I don’t know whether it’s just me but I’ve reached a certain age and all of a sudden I can shrug off this type of comment and feel flattered that I’ve been noticed!  I’m still gob-smacked mind you but just to know that I still have ‘it’ leaves me feeling rather proud of my 48 year old self – go me!