The Club

The air is dark and chilly. I figure that I’ll have the club to myself at 5:30 in the morning, but I am wrong. SUVs, beamers, and Mercedes are pouring into the parking lot. Boomers leap from their vehicles and move quickly toward the front door. They are anxious to get on their machines and begin hardening their bodies and getting rid of unwanted calories.

I make my way to the locker room and then head to the pool to do laps. As I transition from cold air to warm water, I notice there is one other person in the pool, a woman with flippers. She is an excellent swimmer and quickly passes me by as I methodically swim my half mile. The scene is eerie in an adventurous way, as it is still night, and the pool is lit artificially. Gradually day arrives, and the lights go off.

Eventually I make my way to the outdoor Jacuzzi, where I am alone with my thoughts in the 102 degree water. I am feeling good in the warm water, and after 10 minutes I move indoors for a steam bath. The steam has a cleansing function, and I breathe deeply, inviting the steam to become part of me. The steam room is empty at that hour, and the whole process has a 5 star feel to it. I smile as I think of the gyms of my youth with their leaky shower heads, cracked concrete and banged up lockers.

After showering, I sling my gym bag and head upstairs and out to my car. Automobiles are continuing to sprint onto club property and motivated workout people pour out of their vehicles. As I head off to work, even traffic clogged highway 56 can’t dampen my spirits. When the light finally lets me onto the main highway, I quickly run through the gears of my Z Car and accelerate into the day.