It has been months since I’ve been to the gym…MONTHS! This morning I woke up and decided, today is the day! I fed the kids, combed three heads of hair and brushed teeth belonging to three squirrely-bouncy-kangaroo jumping children, separating those old enough for fluoride from those who aren’t, got myself and my crew dressed, and dropped off my kindergartener at school.

Entering the Y, I felt a rush of excitement as I envisioned the possibility of successfully swimming laps in the pool. I signed my two remaining children into childwatch, convinced my 1-year-old would either cry hysterically or infamously poop (they don’t do diapers), causing me to have to get out of the pool as soon as I jump into it (I’m sarcastic that way). As soon as I open the door (cue baby), screaming ensues, because the very thought of a room full of young, happy, child care providers, infinite toys, and other happy playing children is somehow completely insulting if Mom doesn’t get to stay and play too. I walk out the door, leaving those poor childwatch workers to deal with the drama of a tantruming 1-year old.

In the locker room, I blissfully put on my bathing suit…all by myself! It doesn’t end there! It continues! I have a completely appropriate adult conversation with a neighbor that I randomly bump into. No one under 6 years old is asking me questions, poking me in the butt, running through the locker room completely naked, locking themselves in lockers, or asking random people to identify themselves as pregnant, girls or boys. It’s a beautiful thing.

I get my suit on, grab my cap and goggles, and realize I didn’t bring a towel. Totally fine with it, I decide I’ll just shake off like a poodle when I get out of the pool and put my cloths back on…they’ll dry the rest of me off. It’s a little chilly out there and a towel would have been really nice…but it’s going to be okay! I’ve made it this far. I’m in it to win it! Today, I am going to swim!

A lady next to me who just got out of the shower offers me her towel.

“You can have mine!” she says cheerfully to me.

“Oh, no! I can’t take your towel,” I say. “How will I return it?”

My neighbor offers to bring it back to her (they were in the same class), but random-towel-lady tells us not to worry about it, she isn’t there all the time. This exchange goes back and forth for a little while and I eventually tell her I will take the towel. Honestly, a towel would be the cherry on my lap swimming sundae.

So, here’s the point of my morning story. I refuse to believe we are okay with creating a society and world (regardless of ideology) that tolerates shooting civilians, veterans, police officers, and mothers trying desperately to raise children (see above). We can’t claim to value life before it’s born and have absolutely no regard for it once it’s here living among us. To make our society and world more peaceful, more tolerant, more accepting of everyone, we need to take note of random-towel-lady and act accordingly, because you never know what kind of a day someone is having and how it is affecting them. #Payitforward (to people you don’t already know). I know I will.