Coffee Rant

In our coffee group we refer to one man as Eye-Candy and I bet you can guess why; he is easy on the eyes, at least for an old guy. He's one of the few men in our Flex and Balance class and I get the feeling it is his wife’s idea. I was a few minutes late for coffee but he was still going; on a rant he started just after class I assume.

Eye-Candy, his wife, another couple, my exercise partner/neighbor and myself listened intently as he finally came to an end. His anger was very apparent and the rest of us encouraged him by agreeing, with everything he said. In class, everyone has a folding chair, and it is as if they have been assigned.  As creatures of habit (and our habits are well set,) we stick to our set chair.

One female exerciser often rushes in once the class has started.  We don't necessarily like that but it can be done quietly. If our circle includes and empty chair, that is where the tardy sits. If there is no spare, the tardy retrieves a chair from the cart where they are stacked and squeeze into whatever extra space is available.

The chair next to Eye-Candy was vacant that morning so the tardy gal hustled to sit in the empty. Then she actually picked it up and moved the seat closer to E-C which invaded his personal space. She popped that imaginary film that keeps others out of our comfort zone. We all agreed his anger was valid. But the intrusion was not his only issue and his venting continued. It seems Tardy does not know her right from left and is often not ‘with’ the rest of us. Now we all are out of sync occasionally but he said that with Tardy it is continual. 

Eye-Candy’s wife pointed out that occasionally a member can be too chatty and we all agreed. YEAH, that bugs me too!"  Everyone shared how irritating talkers can be. I guess we are awful old people.

Now I know this all seems rather trivial but it is essential we feel free from anxiety when we exert ourselves because it is not as easy as it once was. Eye-Candy felt invaded and full up with angst. His rant ended with him saying he was not going back. Some in the group told him to continue and shared our suggestions to remedy those type of encounters. One idea was for him to choose a different spot. He didn’t like that, it would disrupt too many. On the other hand, he could counter her chair move with his own. Then he would be encroaching on other’s space, primarily his wife’s, which is not a good idea for any husband. Some other silly solutions came up but we ended up sharing our own uncomfortable class stories.

My neighbor and I both shared stories from our previous Silver Sneaker’s experience but I forgot one of the best tales. Once, an occasional exerciser came to class in with a gun tucked in his waistband. Eyebrows were raised, but nobody said anything. That is, until I spoke. I simply asked him why he had it with him. He gave a half hearted attempt of explanation, that ended up sounding like “Because I can." He never brought his gun again.

At the Summit, a no firearms policy is posted prominently at the front door, which makes me feel good but I realize violent people don’t necessarily follow rules. The exerciser with the gun obviously didn't. I’ll share that story with my coffee group at our next meeting, if I remember.