I was quietly sitting up in my corner of the sauna. I am a newbie; fitting in is my pattern of choice. There was one other man in the sauna. He fit the persona of Chinese gangster to near perfection. His short square bulky body barely fit into the towel he had around his waist. The short butcher cropped hair was as reminder to the 1950s and a golden era. His legs looked as if they could move small cars with ease. The scars on his chest triggered my imagination of what the rights of passage had been. I imagined his story even as I sat without saying a word. The peace and solitude of the sauna guided me into a deep meditation.
“Would you mind if I put a little water on the rocks.”
The soft melodic voice gently drifted across my awareness. I knew it had to be a dream. My gangster would never sound like this?
“Are you ok? If you are, then I will proceed, otherwise it is ok.”
“Yes, thank-you on both fronts. It would be good to have a little more heat.”
The conversation that followed was about using hot or cold water. His attentive manner spoke of one who enjoyed the art of dialogue. His way of sprinkling the water was Zen like.
Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting with a different stranger. His contemporary look, flowing hair, and soft demeanor spoke of someone engaged in the art of living. We sat in silence; this is the custom of strangers in a sauna.
Without word or warning, I hear the loud sizzle of water hitting the rocks. I braced for the overwhelming heat wave that I knew would hit my body.
Two actions, two experiences.
I think a man masking as a gangster was on a sailing ship that was going to sink. In his case, “he gave orders for anyone who could swim to dive in and go for it, and for the rest to grab a plank.” (Acts 27.43) Today, I want to be the sauna gangster.
