About five days ago I hit the gym, both weights and cardio. In the parking lot on the way out I encountered a middle-aged gentleman I see at the gym quite regularly. We have talked many times and he has shared his competitive body building, steroid using past. I have also watched as he has successfully lost about 65 lbs over the last year.
He caught me just as he was getting out of his truck and I was entering my car. "Hold on," he said. "Look at me." I turned and looked at him and wondered what was going on. "Wow. Look at you; you've lost weight!"
He didn't stop there.
"And you've added muscle! Look at those arms. And your love-handles have gotten smaller! Way to go!"
At this point I blushed and was immediately grateful the dim light of the neon lamp above wasn't enough to show my face in dark of the evening. Blushing amongst men is a bit embarrassing in its own right.
He then continued to point out and praise my physical improvements for a solid ten minutes, happily telling me how much he thought I had changed for the better. In fact, he even asked "are you taking steroids?" I took that as a compliment and assured him that wasn't the case.
When was the last time a casual acquaintance took ten minutes of their own time just to make you feel good about yourself? (I don't do so nearly often enough.) His positive, kind words meant a great deal to me and elevated my mood for almost 24 hours, particularly because I had never talked with this man about my new diet and exercise plan. He simply noticed my improvement and took the time to encourage and congratulate me.
I want to be more like my gym friend in the parking lot. Hopefully I can be the kind of guy who, like him, lifts others even when it is not expected or necessary.
