“I have a little game I play in my head. Often when I’ve pitched a project or sent a job application, or something similar, I got to the gym to work all the anxieties out of my body. I send my thoughts, all my stuff into the ether, then pull back and let the universe work its magic on me.”

“The seconds before I check my email, or first, my phone messages, is like the night before Christmas when everything is still possible. All those things I wanted to have can still be had. If I just don’t open my eyes, not just yet, there’s still hope.

Maybe the client liked my idea. I’m sure he did. But what if he was so excited about it that he called his boss, the head of marketing who loved it, and called his boss, the senior vice president of brand development who went crazy over it and called his boss, the CEO, who picked up the phone right away, and called me.

And I, in my coolness, was just “at the gym a little bit” and he had to leave me a voicemail.

I may call him back. I may not. Maybe tomorrow.

Anyway, I see half of the phone sticking out of my coat pocket, but I turn my eyes away, and instead, grab my towel and dry my hair. I’m underneath the towel, rubbing the red towel against my scalp, imagining what I look like to the others, and what I will do when I finally do check my messages.

I throw the towel in the locker and see that my phone is not lit. So, no messages recently. Fine, doesn’t mean anything. I get dressed, put on my underwear, my shirt, my pants. Today, I’m wearing a suit because I’m going to a meeting, an important meeting later on, to make a pitch to land a new client.

Which means that I’ll be back at the gym in about four hours.”

– A message from a parallel universe