Judged

I have spent most of today hating the M4 motorway having been on the road for a combined, traffic jam filled, total of six hours. The only high point was seeing a lorry with a message scrawled into the dirt on the back doors. It wasn't the usual message about the (or someone else's) wife, it just simply said 'GET OUT OF THE MIDDLE LANE' and I couldn't have agreed more.
In between those hours of driving I have pushed, pulled, swam, cycled, and rowed my way around the gym. I did jump in the jacuzzi for a rare dose of bubbles but an old couple in there gave me one of those looks, the sort of "What on earth are you doing in here, why aren't you at work. You footballers are all the same, always womanising, gambling, swearing, and lazing about'...oh those days!!!!!!
Seriously though, admittedly I am analysing, psycho analysing, and annihilating what were essentially a few momentary glances of disapproval but you sort of know when you are being judged. I should really have known better -I have avoided Jacuzzis for about ten years and I am usually too busy to 'faff' about in the spa area!

To a certain extent it comes with the territory. When I first used to pick my children up from school in Northampton I think people really believed I was an out of town drug dealer - to be fair I was seemingly off everyday, drove a flash jaguar, and had long hair!
Getting to know most of the parents, through the children and through the football club, and becoming great friends with some of them had certainly changed a few of those early perceptions.
The saying 'looks can be deceptive' may often be the case, car wise anyway.
I am temporarily bombing to and from Oxford in my mate Ian's little Renault clio (Katie) and the difference in peoples perceptions of you is incredible. Mr 8 series man pulls up beside me in traffic and looks down on me. The same man may nod in acknowledgment if I were driving a BMW. I have been lucky enough (or silly enough!) to have had a few nice cars over the years and have loved driving them but it still amazes me how successful people think you are if you drive a nice car yet if you drive a 'normal' car that you are 'struggling a bit'.
You never know, ninety five percent of the time the man who looks a real success in the 'beamer' may be up to his eyeballs in debt yet the man in the old Mondeo has paid for his motor and has no debt at all.
I suppose the motto is 'Judge as you would like to be judged'. Oh god that is so David Brent it is worrying, definitely time for bed.

P.S None of the above is meant to offend the many hard working folk who have rightly and deservedly bought themselves a spanking new BMW. I am just horrendously jealous. I also have nothing against the BMW car, I have had three and have loved them all. It's just the paying for them that's been the problem!.

CH