I went to the gym the other day and I think I walked into Bizzaro land or maybe it was an alternate universe, I don’t know but I definitely didn’t feel like I was in Jersey anymore.

 I get to the gym and I’m ready to work Biceps. I’m putting the plates on one side of the bar and some High School kid who is not even going to work in with me asks if I would like a hand putting the weights on the opposite end of the bar? My first thought was oh my god do I look weak and frail today? My second thought is why is this stranger being nice to me? I wanted to say no, you are scaring me with your random act of kindness but I mustered up the courage and said “yeah, sure drop the weights on the bar”. Then I go look for clips to secure the weights and I see this kid looking for a clip to put on his side too. We secure the weights and then I lift. Wow, that was strange. Later on in my workout I’m off to do some Tricep dips and someone is on the machine. No problem, I’ll wait. This is a different kid than the helpful guy I encountered earlier; he stops in mid dip and says would you like to work in? My first thought is this is some kind of candid camera / punked set up? Once I again I mustered up the courage and accepted this act of kindness. From there we alternated on the machine. People at this gym never ask if you want to work in with them. But wait there’s more! Another kid comes up to me and says “excuse me sir, I know you are busy but can you take a look at my new tattoo, I have a few questions”? Wait a minute, Excuse me Sir? This is Jersey, the Jersey method is to interrupt someone while they are talking and say Dude, I gotta question. Today is different, today is manners day at the gym. I help the kid out, he shakes my hand and says “thank you Sir” and wanders away. By now I’m shaking in my sneakers, I can’t help to think that nobody will ever be nice to me again. All the worlds’ niceness towards to me is going to get used up in forty five minutes and from here on in people will just pelt me with sticks as I walk down the street. I can deal with this, I’m ok, really, I am. Now I’m off to do Tricep pull downs. In order to do this I needed a straight bar. While I’m hunting around for the bar a guy and a girl, seperatly (they don’t seem to be together) ask me what I’m looking for. Sheepishly I tell them and then both assist me in finding the bar. I just assumed they would beat with it when they found it. No, she handed me the bar and smiled.

Ok I must be in Kansas and Dorothy is going to come skipping up to me with Toto and ask if I would like to play Hopscotch, I finished my work out and I’m outta there.

  I went home and told barb about the random kindness at the gym. When I was done with my story I said “how weird is that?” She replied “very”. Then she said “isn’t that sad?”

 Yes, that is sad. In Jersey we live the gasoline for breakfast napalm for lunch pace. Often we metro people forget to be kind, we forget that random acts of kindness are cool and we can have trouble accepting kindness. It’s shameful for me to wonder if there was an angle. I feel like I was given an opportunity view the world with new eyes or maybe just the proper outlook.