December 13 – “It’s GFD’s fault”

I have mentioned numerous times before that I have been in a water therapy class twice a week.  It was something sanctioned and even encouraged by my rheumatologist since other forms of exercise had proved to be quite painful.  And the experiment has proven to be quite successful.  The heated pool at the brain injury center behind WalMart is a great venue, and the instructors, although each having their own peculiar approaches to teaching, have been very good.

And now to my complaint, of sorts.  For some reason several weeks ago the instructor decided that I needed to be treated like a special case.  Not that I was trying to be the teacher’s pet or anything.  Quite the contrary.  I have done my best from the beginning of this whole thing to stay focused on just doing the exercises and staying as nondescript as possible.  I figured with my gray hair I could blend in pretty well with everyone else in the class.  The only people in class who knew me were one couple who came to Seaside and my old high school biology teacher.  It was the perfect place to remain relatively in cognito.  Somewhere along the line, though, the teacher saw fit to notice me.  And then much began to change.

It started innocently enough, I suppose.  She came over to the side of the pool where I was and very quietly said, “If you ever want to know a different way to do some of these exercises that would be more difficult for you, just let me know.”  More difficult.  Why in the world would I want something more difficult?  I was having a hard enough time keeping up with what she was already showing us.  And there were certainly times when those twinges cried out a bit more piercingly than I would have liked.  Why would I want more pain?  I smiled and thanked her, although I never took her up on her offer.  And then it seemed that every class she found at least one exercise that would “benefit you much more if you would do it this way.”  Ever the dutiful student, I followed her commands, wondering all the while what I could possibly have done to warrant the extra attention. 

I finally found out the answer at my last class.  The teacher once again approached me, this time with a special version of the arm apparatus we would be using.  There were two things shaped like dumbbells.  Each had a “special” attachment on the ends, designed to make it more difficult to push through the water.  No one else got this breakthrough equipment.  Just me.  I was about to finally get up enough courage to ask the question that had been gurgling in my innards for weeks … “Why?  Why me?”  But suddenly she turned and walked away.  But this time she tossed one last comment over her shoulder.  One final thought that opened up the world of understanding to me.  Ready for this one?  She said, “I knew since you’re a fireman that you’d want more of a challenge.”  Wait.  What?  So that was it?  All this time she thought?  You mean it’s GFD’s fault?  Wait a minute, Teach, I’m just an old guy that loves those youngsters who run into fires on purpose.  It’ll be OK to cut me some slack here. 

Well, thanks, Galveston fire fighters.  I guess it’s true that people often judge you by who you hang around with.  But I have to admit, I was proud to be lumped in with you guys for a brief moment there.  It sure gave me a little extra determination to use that “special equipment” she graced me with.   I’m nowhere close to Mr. Crossfit, Chief Varela, but I’ll sure do my best to represent the department well amongst the gray-hairs.

Proverbs 12:26 says, “A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

Father, thank you for the chance to associate with some great folks at the fire department.  Keep them safe and draw them close to you.  Amen.