I was a trifle irritated as my usual treadmill at the gym
was being used by someone! As a practice I am not usually very selfish but when
I saw a very skinny middle-aged woman using “My” equipment I felt all tied up
in knots. I mean why such an underweight character should need to use weight
loss equipment was beyond my comprehension. I felt frustrated by just looking
at her! If you had looked at me through the magic mirror you wouldn’t have been
surprised to see my skin colour as green. Of course I pretended to myself that
it was not jealousy but the fact that my routine was filled with obstacles of
the ‘stick’ kind.
I took the treadmill next to it and grimaced to myself.
She gave me a smile (which strangers in the gym do) but did I smile back? No I
just twitched my lips for an excuse of a smile! The whole of half an hour I
kept peeping at her. I had never felt more obese and bloated in my whole life.
We could see each other in the huge mirror in front of us. Needless to say it
was one of my worst walks……All the negative emotions like jealousy, envy, anger
and irritations were taking turns to occupy my mind. It wasn’t fair, here I had
a good reason to be on the treadmill and I didn’t get my favourite one and
there was one person who didn’t need to but was wasting her time and mine by
walking at a slow pace beside me!
Though in the following days she did not use my
treadmill, I still did not like her. God was trying to emphasize my obesity by
letting her loiter around me! She even went to the sauna which I hadn’t even
tried. I wanted to ask her why she was torturing her poor body through all
these activities. She looked like an unstrung bean. I learnt to control my
negative emotions and continued my activities and ignored her. (Though I wished
she would change her timings!)
When I went after the weekend to the gym, I could hear
the rumble of the machines outside the door. I sighed and opened the door
expecting to see Ms. Beans…. but to my surprise she wasn’t there instead Ms.
Pumpkin was there! (Thankfully not on ‘My’ machine!). She was almost three
times my size and her complexion was orange like a pumpkin. (Hence my
christening her with that name!) What a day it was. “Look at me”, I said to
myself, “I am so slim”
I felt positively upbeat and smiled at her but I got paid
back with my own coin, she grimaced at me!
“Huh!” I said to myself, “I won’t waste my smiles on
someone who doesn’t appreciated it”
I was now all positive, I walked at a faster pace not
feeling in the least tired. I even hummed along as the calories-used piled up
faster and faster. In short, I was in seventh heaven! I did some extra workouts
and still hung around trying the other machines.
One week of feeling good! I looked forward to my workouts
every day. I saw my co walker trying weights and other machines in the gym and
I had started toying with the idea of following suit… maybe next week, I said
to myself.
The next week Ms. Beans was back! So was Ms. Pumpkin!
They were both on the treadmill but not on mine! I felt as if the balloon of
happiness had been pricked. Later I wondered why. I was in equilibrium now with
both of them beside me I did not touch either the zenith or the nadir! I was
where I should be in between!
Both it seemed were best friends; chattering away with
each other nineteen to a dozen; smiling at each other and talking excitedly;
they were having a gala time. They smiled at me, an open hearted one and I
reluctantly smiled back. True happiness is infectious. I felt at peace,
although I wasn’t actually flying, I was walking with light steps and God in
his own way put me in my place. I learnt a lesson that deep depression and
ecstasy were temporary emotions. Truth alone triumphs and is permanent.
