Monday Morning

The day started the same day every Monday started: a phone alarm. He reached for it blindly, trying desperately to hit the "dismiss" button somewhere in the middle of the touch screen.

"The hardest part is getting out of bed," he told himself.

It was a lie.  But it was a good lie.  A falsehood designed to trick your mind into thinking that getting out of bed really WAS the hardest part of a Monday morning.  He rolled out of bed, walking timidly towards the bathroom.  His heels bothered him in the morning, as they usually did.  But that wasn't anything out of the ordinary for a morning such as this.

The best part of any morning is standing over the toilet.

That was a lie too.  But...it was pretty close to not being a lie.

Putting in contacts makes him feel human again.  It's a process he's done for almost two decades; putting in his eyes never gets old.  It's like they take a drink of water and say "Ahhhhhhhh" in a most satisfying fashion.  Being able to see is never a bad thing.  He throws on sweats because the pre 6am morning still has a chill to it, even in late April.

Ten minutes after the alarm goes off he turns on his car and drives down the street.

It is a short drive but there are a lot of lights to get into downtown Charlotte.  Well, technically, if you want to abide by common colloquialisms, it's "Uptown" Charlotte.  It amuses him that a city tries so desperately to find a personality that it comes up with a name for its business district.

His destination arrives within 5 minutes of departing home and he pulls into a space.  Grabbing the bag from the back seat he walks, slowly, to the swinging front door.  There is nothing special about this facility; nothing unusual.  Its doors open at 5:30am and close late in the night, catering to all sorts of people and all sorts of personalities.

Swipe his card, grab a towel and head into the locker room.

Getting naked in a room full of other dudes is always an odd proposition.  It's socially acceptable to walk around in one's birthday suit, blow drying various things and putting on (or taking off) very small pieces of sports-specific apparel but sweating is somehow "weird."

Oh well.

Once changed, walking out onto the deck is like waking up all over again.  Lots of activity, bright lights, shouting, splashing, suffering.  The sense of community that Monday morning (and all other mornings that start with a trip to this place) group swim practice brings is undeniable.

Waking up feeling tired, sluggish, resentful, annoyed, tired...sluggish.... You get the picture.  Getting out of the pool at 7:30 feeling awake, energized, tired (but in a good way), alive with the energy of your workout and your friends; that's some good stuff.

Every Monday is a great day.