9.10.25: Accidental Eye Contact

There’s a specific kind of pain in making accidental eye contact with a stranger at the gym. Not flirtatious. Not hostile. Just two people mutually embarrassed to exist in the same space, holding kettlebells and pretending we didn’t see each other flex weirdly. You each look away like “my bad, bro,” then spend the next 30 seconds recalibrating your workout zone so it doesn’t happen again. No one wins. It’s not a rivalry, it’s a silent truce. The gym isn’t for socializing. It’s for becoming slightly stronger while avoiding mirrors and pretending you know how to use the cable machine.