LifeSoup by Cherie Dawn Haas

by Cherie Dawn Haas

Tonight I was reminded of a hot button. It’s a lesson that I have not yet learned, apparently, because I continue to allow it to bring me to annoyance at best and anger at worst. Warning: it’s petty, so forgive me. 

At the gym I go to, there’s a circuit room that includes a variety of equipment and a stop/go light. There’s a sign you pass when you enter the room that says to use it as a circuit, meaning that you use machine #1 when the light turns green, and move to #2 when it changes. Easy breezy lemon squeezy.

First, let me say that I don’t care if someone doesn’t use the circuit room the way it’s intended – unless I am, and they interrupt my workout flow. It annoys the living daylights out of me. (By the end of this, you’ll see that I can say it annoyed me…in past tense.) 

So tonight when I entered the room I was able to ignore the two ladies that bounced around me as I followed the circuit – they weren’t affecting my workout even though they weren’t following the room’s rules. But then a “trainer” and his “trainee” entered the room.

The trainer showed the lady the machine she was to use next, which was directly behind me and happened to be the next machine I was planning to use, per the circuit. She sat down at the machine and continued to use it (and check her phone) through three or four cycles, so I had to skip it altogether.

I was angry. Embarrassingly angry, because my MO is to be calm, cool, and collected. I try to exude peace. Except I couldn’t at that moment.

My face actually felt hot. The voice in my mind said things like, “they are being so rude; if he’s a trainer, he should also be training her on gym etiquette; this happens so much, they should just get rid of the circuit concept because so many people ignore it while others are trying to follow it” and etc.

All of this happened in a moment, of course. And about 30 seconds into being angry, I told myself, “hey, be grateful instead.” I was grateful that I had this strong, healthy body that was able to do any of these machines, and that this, of all things, was the worst part of my day – the only thing I could possibly complain about. I warned you it was petty.

Then I dug deeper. Why was this a hot button for me? Yoga philosophy has taught me that we are given the same lessons over and over again, circuit-like, until we learn from them. I believe this because I’ve experienced it. It’s why I can be so calm so often. But this circuit room was a sticking point.

As the light continued to change and I continued to skip the shoulder press the lady sat at, I turned inward and questioned what lesson was being presented to me. I decided I’d post on Facebook as soon as I got home – first, I would complain about it, then I would ask my brilliant friends for their advice. How could I look at this differently?

Then I did the unthinkable. I spoke up about it, to the trainer/trainee, directly. Surely they should know how inconsiderate this behavior was, no? That’s where my mind was. Only – you’ll laugh, if you know me – I was apparently so nice about it, so apologetic myself, that I don’t think they realized what I was even trying to say. I’m grateful for that, because they smiled at me so sweetly. 

Finished with the circuit room (physically and symbolically), I went to the treadmill next. There, I watched a YouTube video of a guru who spoke about desire versus vision. Here’s what I got out of it…it was my desire to have an uninterrupted workout. This desire could be seen as selfish, only for me. A greater response would be to have a vision for the greater good, in that I’m part of a community that wants improved health. We’re all there for the same reason, and none of us is more deserving than the other. If the circuit rule didn’t exist, I wouldn’t be so self-righteous about the machine – I’d simply do what I did, and wait until it was my turn.

It brings me back to another yoga philosophy lesson I’ve learned about having expectations. We should make plans, but be flexible. I’ll plan to exercise, but will take whatever machine or station is available to me at that moment.

Along the same lines, I considered the times that I’ve broken rules that inconvenienced others. It happens, even to those of us with best intentions or those of us who are oblivious to how our behavior is affecting someone else. 

Lastly, I reflected on how I could’ve spent the hour differently. Instead of reflecting on all of this, I could’ve been thinking about any multitude of other things. An upcoming vacation, a past vacation, my novel draft, my chickens, or that time I took a shower in the creek with a few dozen other people as we got sprayed with a hose from a fire truck. Heh. (I think all of us were clothed – get your mind out of the gutter!)

As I write this to share it with you, though, I realize it was an hour of reflecting that was well-spent. If we can catch ourselves when we’re angry and do a little soul-searching, maybe we can figure out how to prevent the anger from arising in the first place, especially when it’s over something that’s, well, petty.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Peace, love, and exercise,
Cherie Dawn

P.S.
Here’s the video that I watched while on the treadmill. I’m not joking – it was the first thing that came up when I opened the YouTube app. 😉 The title is actually misleading, IMHO, but it’s worth a listen!