The Two Time
Machines at the YMCA
by Jerry Guarino
The YMCA is an
extraordinary institution. Founded in England
with locations all over the world, it provides a
healthy environment for all ages, but especially
for senior citizens. That’s why I was
curious to find two new machines, installed in
the dead of night in our local gym.
Normally, machines are used
for weight training and muscle building, but
these two machines were of a different caliber.
Innocently labeled WATERMASSAGE on the rear
bumper, they resembled a tanning bed with the top
removed. I thought this might be just what the
seniors were looking for, a gentle and relaxing
muscle massage, like a motion-activated water bed.
But I soon discovered they
were not therapeutic, at least not as advertised.
Here is how they work. You lie down on the bed,
enter your name and date of birth on an iPad and
then don a VM (virtual reality) headgear. I
should try it, and so I did.
It started with relaxing
spa music and a burst of colors, like being
transported back to California in the 1960s. The
VM headgear featured noise-canceling technology,
so that you couldn’t hear anything outside
your immediate environment—no conversations,
music, or people. After about a minute, the
machine immerses you in a dreamlike state,
bringing up scenes from your life. Memories from
childhood to today are shown in full color, sound,
and motion. There were so many wonderful
times in my life and none of the sadness, pain or
negative emotions I had lived through. This
continued for 30 minutes, which was the stated
length of a trip on this time machine.
How could this machine
know my life and experiences? The only
information I provided was my name and when I was
born. Was this machine connected to some AI
computer?
I returned the next day to
try again, but the machine I had used was
occupied. I lay down in the other machine,
expecting the same psychedelic experience. But I
was shocked to find out that this machine brought
up images and future life, where I was going to
live, not the past. Of course, these images and
sounds were utterly foreign to me. I could not
know what the future held, but here they were, 30
minutes of my life to come. I hoped it would not
include a scene of my death, when and where; that
was too much to know. Like the first time, it did
not provide any negative, painful or sad
experiences.
Maybe this is what
heaven is like. All the tears washed away.
It did show me future
travel on cruises and vacations as well as
wonderful scenes of grandchildren growing up,
going to college, getting married and having
families of their own. I admit that I cried a bit
at times, knowing that our legacy turned out so
well. I had to see how this was all possible, so
I went to ask a colleague in the office.
“Hey, where did you
get those machines? They’re wonderful.
Scenes from my past and future. How does the
technology work?”
My colleague gave me a
bewildered look.
“They’re just
massage beds.”
The
Two Time Machines at the YMCA by Jerry Guarino
Copyright August, 2025 – All Rights Reserved
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