For years I have been in one of my gyms many days a week. I typically go in, work, and leave. There’s not a whole lot of communicating with others. Sometimes there’s the head nod of acknowledgement, or the non- verbal conversation of “you using this?” “naw brah, go ahead” etc.
I see lots of the same people there for multiple years and have zero idea what their names are. There’s the tall sock duo, the 49er guy, “Ashley”, and more. I’m sure I may pop up on their lists as something like “the ancient chick who sometimes dances between sets” or something.
It’s an interesting thing to feel a little bit like you know people you absolutely don’t know at all. I could tell when the angry man was injured but kept working out. I notice when the “whuuuuuHHHH!!!!!” grunting guy isn’t there. (Don’t miss that guy’s noise, but I do hope he’s okay). I can tell the dark haired hat girl is working by the gainz she’s making.
One of the definitive gym personalities is a guy whose name I didn’t know before today even though I’ve seen him there for years. The first thing you see about him is that he’s ALWAYS smiling and AWLAYS saying positive things to any number of people in the gym. Encouraging them, and what not. When you see him walk, you notice there’s something about his gait that makes you wonder if he’s had some previous injury or some chronic condition. His words sometimes take me more than once to hear what he’s said. Despite how positive his words are, they seem difficult to form and get out. I had no reason to wonder about what his history was.
Today he was there, hyping people up as usual. He complimented my Bulgarian split squats for which I was very grateful because I didn’t want to do them at all. We chatted briefly. My hearing’s bad enough that I resorted to some of the smile and nod of folks who aren’t catching every word. But I did hear him clearly when he asked me if I’d seen his documentary. No sir. I have not.
He told me how to find it and it was my cardio accompaniment today.
“Chaz Baldwin One Last Ride” is a 10 minute film on YouTube. It was 10 minutes I’m grateful for.
It starts with Chaz riding wheelies on his street motorcycle and chronicles how his life changed dramatically in an instant. By all accounts, the dude shouldn’t be alive. He certainly shouldn’t be able to walk, let alone go to the gym.
I still don’t know the guy, but I’ve seen enough to know that his spirit is very strong. He seems to have such a passion for life, and you have to wonder if that’s what got him through such adversity; or if overcoming the adversity like he has created the joy for existence.
I don’t know why today he told me about the video, but I’m very thankful he did. It made me have a LOT more appreciation for how positive he is. It also made me take a long pause and reflect. This guy has been through so much and just refuses to be beat down. On the other hand; yesterday I had a small tantrum because nowhere in Redding had bamboo sushi mats in stock. I mean, I did end up making one out of duct tape and bamboo skewers, but for a nanosecond I thought of it as an obstacle. My life is so blessed, I don’t even know what a problem is.
Thank you Chaz for the reset about what kinds of things are real challenges and what people with incredible strength can do to overcome.
Thank you guys for reading; and if you have 10 minutes, maybe hop on over to Youtube and learn about Chaz.
Bifocals and Barbells 