My morning workout:
“You are so inconsiderate,” the woman told me with anger piercing from her eyes. “I hope you will think about how you treat other people.”
I was working out in the weight room, as I’ve been doing a few days a week for more than a year. I participate in a stretch and balance class at 10:00, and I usually work out on the machines before and after. This particular machine I most often do after the class, because I don’t often arrive with a full 30 minutes to give to it before.
A few weeks ago, I did. This woman approached me and asked how long I planned to be on the machine. “I’ll be finished in one minute,” I responded. The machine showed me there was 1one minute left on my 30-minute timer. I could tell by the look on her face that she wanted an argument. “You’re only supposed to stay on it for 15 minutes,” she said. “Ok, one minute,” I said. I finished my minute and went to my class.
I’d never seen anything about a 15-minute limit but thought since the other machine like mine was also taken, that did seem a reasonable courtesy. I would be mindful.
Today I arrived early. The only person in the entire workout area, I worked out on several machines and moved to that one for the final 30 minutes prior to my class time. I noticed the woman participating in the 9:00 exercise class. (Half the large room is exercise equipment, the other half used for fitness classes.) About 9:45 when her class ended she came over and stood at the wall nearest to where I was. It crossed my mind she might be wanting my machine again, but I dismissed the thought, as I was still the only person working out on any machine, and right beside me was a vacant machine like the one I was on.
At 9:52 she approached me. “You’re only supposed to stay on a machine for 15 minutes,” she said.
“I didn’t know that,” I responded, “Can you show me where that is?”
“(Name of the fitness manager) told me,” she said, obviously becoming more and more agitated.
“I’ll be finished in 8 minutes,” I said, “in time for the start of the next class.”
“You are so inconsiderate of others,” she scolded me.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I’ll be finished in 7 minutes.”
“You are very inconsiderate,” she reiterated.
“God bless you, ma’am,” I said.
“Bless you too," she said "and I hope you think about how you treat other people. You are only supposed to be on a machine for 15 minutes to be considerate of others.”
“I pointed to the machine beside mine. “What about that machine?” I asked her calmly.
At that moment, a man entered the room and headed for that machine. She responded to me: “I knew he liked that machine, and I am considerate of other people. You are not supposed to be on a machine longer than 15 minutes."
“Have a good day, ma’am,” I said, hoping to end the confrontation that was going nowhere.
“I hope you do too, and I hope you think about how you are. You are inconsiderate and stubborn. You are stubborn,” she said with obvious frustration and anger.
“I hope you have a good day, ma’am,” I said.
She left the room.
I do hope her day got better. And she did get her wish that I thought about it - even shared it with a few hundred Facebook friends and blog readers. And I think maybe I’ll consider beginning with 15 minutes on that machine, moving through all my other machines, then finishing with a final 15 on that one. I’m not sure there is any such 15-minute rule, but it’s a small thing I can do toward world peace. Everyone we meet is fighting some kind of personal battle, far bigger and deeper than the anger they direct to strangers in the fitness room.
