Water Aerobics Splash 2

I'm thinking I'd better confine my YMCA comments to this, mostly private, blog.

There were only a handful of us today.

A new woman came to the class. Greg, our handsome instructor who attends Junior College nearby, said, "Start warming up by walking back and forth between the rope and the wall." This woman says, "Wheh da wall at?" I kid you not.

Plus she was wearing a wig. A very nice shiny black, French bob cut WIG. IN THE SWIMMING POOL. Granted we weren't required to actually swim or go under the water, but still.

Then later in the class we lined up against the wall (she found it) and were doing some exercise that required our faces to be very close to the water. This dead bee drifted toward my mouth and I jumped aside, and said to her, "Watch out! Don't swallow the dead bee!" She said, "It be dead, honey." Then she said, "Don' drink dis water honey, dey be peein in it."

And now that I think about it, I'm the only person in the class who ever put her head in/under the water. Granted several of these ladies can't swim at all, but I wonder if they know something I don't.

We prayed again. I'm practicing for when Greg asks me if I'll lead, much like my annual rewrite of my Oscar/Tony/Golden Globe speech.

Then I went to Tom Thumb. I had sixteen items so was all dutiful and stood in the regular line and got squinched between two big baskets. The woman in front of me bought $454.09 worth of groceries, and that was with a fistful of coupons. Why is it always the line I GET IN?

Water Aerobics Meets Pam

My first water aerobics class (in several years). It was me and about six really gigantic black women, one Hispanic woman, and an assortment of teenagers who were clearly the children who'd been dragged by their moms into coming along.

It felt GREAT. So much better than a tiny yoga room with no air circulation and nearly passing out. Not only am I going to HURT tomorrow, I'll have a tan!

The ripped lifeguard who led the class clearly reveled in drilling all these women, and a TEN, NINE EIGHT SEVEN SIX FIVE FOUR THREE TWO ONE, do it again, TEN NINE EIGHT, etc, till we all complained about our shoulders hurting. They all laughed at me because I didn't know what speed something-ing was. SOmething about that punching ball.

And at the end, completely to my surprise, we swim hopped into a circle and held hands. He asked us if anybody had any requests or announcements.....and then one lady did this really nice little prayer about, you know, just thank you God for this class, this opportunity to get healthy together, and our lives and etc., and of course, in Jesus Name We Pray. Praying in sunglasses and sunlight sparkling off cool water. I've never experienced anything like this before.

How many water aerobics classes end with a circle prayer? It was very cool.

Tasha was extremely mixed up at how I smelled when I got home.

I am such a complete outsider in this environment, and I don't want to be presumptuous or stupid about it. As I was driving up, two young teenage girls got out of their mom's car, clearly headed indoors for gymnastics class, wearing Justin F. Kimball t-shirts. I thought WAIT. I went to Kimball! Only when I went there it was completely segregated. A handful of Hispanic kids but no African-Americans at all. And my class? My class of 67? The last class where girls wore dresses. NEVER pants.

So after 15 years of living back in Oak Cliff, I'm finally getting a real taste of my home stomping grounds, or how they've evolved I should say.

Much more later.

So fat so fat so fat

that I can't stand myself anymore, so I signed up at the Y down the street. In Oak Cliff the Y down the street means, thus far, that I am the only white person there. I've only been down twice: once to sign up, and once for my first swim, yesterday. I was still the only white person there. There was something at once wonderfully comforting and vaguely anonymous about this. I didn't know anybody so I just sort of put my coverup and water bottle and flip flops down at one end of the pool, not quite knowing what ELSE to do.

This was yesterday, Saturday, the last hour before the pool closed. I drove around for an hour before this, trying to find a bathing suit that would fit me, since I haven't bought one in years and just didn't want anyone to see this body in a bathing suit....finally found one at Burlington, and only in one day's retrospect can I say that I should have gotten a size smaller.

Sheesh, maybe it will shrink in the dryer.

I swam in spurts. Half laps were the only things available and I did what I could, sidestroke, breast stroke, backstroke, and realizing that if I really want to swim I need some goggles.

More later.