Losing Oneself

12 Ramadhan, 1446

Lost myself just now in a trip to the gym. In two ways.

First of all, the 50 minutes I spent on the elliptical trainer passed almost effortlessly, after the first clumsy 10 minutes or so. I double-checked with my diary of last year a couple of days ago and realised that I'd reduced my work-outs back then from the usual one hour of cardio in view of the general demands of the month and this proved efficacious. So that's what I'm doing this year and tonight the strategy bore fruit. I lost all awareness of the sweaty self peddling away, going up that imaginary hill, and got lost thinking of other stuff - especially what I'll be doing in lessons early next term.

And then, walking back after completing the session, I encountered a gorgeous moon, not quite full, but nearly there as the lunar month moves to its mid-point. There're few better ways of annihilating one's personal concerns than soaking in impersonal beauty.

Postscript: Just thought of a third way in which the essential me was lost. After stepping off the elliptical trainer Face ID completely failed to recognise me. I assume I must have aged sufficiently through the exercise to be rendered unrecognisable. It's coming to something when even your i-phone doesn't know who you are, eh?