Things that happen in a gym’s locker room

Two young women stormed into the locker room. One of them, a tall girl who is contemplating herself in the mirror, is complaining about having to take her car to the shop among other things. The other one says empathically, “You are not having the best day, aren’t you?” The girl in the mirror turns around, walks to her friend, and shares that there is more. She says in a not too shyly voice, “I am cheating.”

What a way to spark everyone’s curiosity!

I needed to get ready, so I missed all the juicy details. I spent the next few minutes imagining how their conversation went, who she was cheating with, why, what she would do now, etc. until I got distracted by a reflection on my field of vision. A woman had a hairdryer in her hand. She was naked and proud of it. No judgment, I am used to it. We have been together in the sauna many times before, and she is always like that, au naturale.

What surprised me was not the hairdryer. She was not drying her hair, she was drying her boobs for a long time....has she realized she could use a towel? “All that heath,” I am thinking. Then she pointed the dryer to the middle of her chest and left it there at full speed. I was almost ready, and the hairdryer had not moved. Was that some kind of beauty routine I don’t know anything about? Maybe some form of heart chakra stimulation? I made plans to ask Alexa as soon as I got home.

As I was exiting the locker room, I realized that it was just a reflection of everyday life. So many different stories, customs, and people coincide in one place and live parallel lives without talking and learning substantial information about each other. Some of those people we see several times a week. And we come and go anonymously, without altering the space we inhabit. But then, sometimes, we say a word and invite somebody’s curiosity, we become the reason for someone’s research, and we become a nice story to share. If only we open our eyes and tune in our ears....