Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven

"Everybody wants to laugh but nobody wants to cry

I say everybody wants to laugh but nobody wants to cry

Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die"

Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven by Albert King

Different types of people go to the gym.

The fitness manic who believes he can find happiness in the gym. The social butterfly that chats for half an hour and lifts five reps. The influencer who flexes to take pictures. The narcissist lifts the T-shirt to admire his abs in the mirror in front of everyone and smiles at his reflection. The huntress who goes there to hunt a potential boyfriend. The "what-are-you-thinking" who wears jeans and flip-flops to walk uphill on a treadmill.

And then there is Fat Tony.

Fat Tony is easily recognisable. In his mid-thirties, he is bulking up. He truly believes he has. Underneath his not-so-pronounced muscles, there is a thick layer of fat. Exercise cannot outdo bad diets. After each session, he genuinely believes he deserves a hearty meal, Indian takeaway, and a few beers to reward his hard work in the gym. Of course, there will be more beers on Friday nights and more vodkas over the weekend. He is always busy at work so he only manages to go to the gym once or twice a week. He walks into the gym, belly in, chest up, like a peacock, full of confidence. True warriors are humble because they understand you can always run faster, lift heavier and jump higher. There is no the fittest, only the fitter.

This is the first time Fat Tony has joined the HiiT class.

"Hi there, do you exercise much?" Asks King Coach.

"I swim quite often. I think I am alright." Replies Fat Tony.

Warm-up is the usual several rounds of jumping jacks, butt kicks, high knees, press ups and stretches. Poor Fat Tony is already breathless and red-faced. He steals a glance at Gym Bunny with disgust, hatred, jealousy, and envy. She hardly breaks a sweat.

Half an hour in the session.

"You work with a partner. Partner One, Farmer's Carry to the other side of the gym and back while Partner 2 does burpees. When Partner One is back, swap, we do this four times and no rest in between!"

"Ahhh…no rest?!"

"Farmer's Carry is your rest! Now, pick your weights. Get a sip of water and we will start in twenty seconds!"

King Coach has a habit of howling out the instructions. Like little kindergarten students, they rush to the rack to pick up the dumbbells.

Unfortunately for Fat Tony, he gets paired up with Gym Bunny. She picks up a set of 18 KG, thinking she will share it with Fat Tony. He hesitates, picks up a set of 12 KG and says, "You know, if it is not because of my shoulders' injury, I would have joined you on the 18KG." Immediately embarrassed by his urgency to explain, he feels humiliated. Gym Bunny shrugs her shoulders and says nothing. Fat Tony instantly takes offence, angry at her aloofness and indifference. Gym Bunny sees nothing wrong with 12KG, or 10 or even 4KG. You do what is comfortable. She is not here to compete or show off.

Two sets down and two to go. Gym Bunny is in her strive. Fat Tony is grasping his breath. He needs to sit down. His face is white as a sheet. He cannot get the blood to his head fast enough and feels faint. King Coach notices and runs across, "Sit down, take a sip of water. If you feel faint, lie down, and put your legs up." The whole team has now stopped and see if Fat Tony is alright. Fat Tony once again has mistaken people's care for nosiness, "I am ok, nothing to look here…go back…and do whatever you were doing."

Fat Tony now realises that he has overreacted. Embarrassed by his reaction, he grabs the water bottle and towel and leaves the gym.

He quits.

What he does not realise is Gym Bunny has been religiously going to the gym to train and attend classes for the past eighteen months. She started with 8KG on the Farmer's Carry. There have been times and times again she did not finish the set. There have been times and times again that she wanted to give up. She crawled her way up to 18KG. She comes to every class with a smile and

determination. Determined to win, not against anyone else but herself. It is a race against herself. It is a race between her mind and her body.

Fat Tony wants the six-packs but does not want the hard work.

Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.

#adayinthejungle #gymrat #gymbunny #everyonewantstogotoheaven #notai #realpersonwriting