Place: Bed. Nestling into my new feather pillow and a still presistent voice chanted: swim, swim, swim. I gave a long side long glance at my gym bag. Really? Hmm. Swim.Swim.Swim.I've been avoiding it for quite a few months. the gym i joined finally had their pool filled after what has to be like 2 years. i came back from my uh... hiatus ... of 2 months and saw the glimmering blue aqua and a exclamation mark binged over my head. i took it from over my head and folded it in my pocket- and over the ensuing last couple months i've gazed at the pool longingly like you would an icecream shop you couldn't go in bcs you were on a diet. and well the pool is also right there as you come in- so it's like, fishbowl meets hollywood fishbowl and suddenly it takes all the resilience you can muster to conceive of being on display. but i don't like being ruled by fear or mortification, which is why i still swim in the pacific ocean and pick hair out of the drain, so i opted to go in.
my first attempt was on a friday at 6am... walking late to the N.BS and i dismayed when i glanced down at my jeans and xray vision told me i'd completely neglected a few key things. so you know i have a problem brushing my teeth... and well the 6.25 precent of Bohemian i have in me goes full tilt european, especially during winter... which overall is better for my skin because i used to have a huge ingrown hair problem but TMI. right! right.
and to my lowered head, charlie brown posture, told me i was not brave enough to go the hollywood gym looking like helga from ancestories of yore. i was not going to be working out that day. but as it goes try once, try again- today was the day. everything was planned. the bag was stashed. shorts were worn. a towel was brought... and nothing throughout the day brought me as much joy as my head saying, swim, swim, swim... like it was too good to be true.
and quite anti-climactically all went really well. i sat in the hot spa, waited for the young couple to get out of my way like i was in fried green tomatos- i'd make a good kathy bates- and though i mocked my own form and made excuses to an imaginary person critiquing my preformance a good time was had by all, though i eyed everyone suspiciously and watched the time... and nothing is so good as my oh so heavy earthbound person will tell you- to feel the water rush over the skin.
7 comments:
hey, do you go to that gym right across the street from where you work? Because that is where I go. Hmmm, I know there is a pool at the front, but I guess I've never looked in to see if it has water in it.
yes i do!
you also frequent the gym across from where i work?! when did you start to do that?! we couldve been workout buddies the whole time!
Three years ago.
Crazy.
I can't swim
Being a cancer, you'd think I'd be a water baby, but nope, I'm actually kinda afraid of the water. I can swim, but not very well. It all dates back to my first visit to the beach as a wee one, when I was attacked by the sea monster while left unattended by my parents. My parents told me later it was just a bunch of seaweed, but I think that's just said to make them feel less guilty about leaving me as an almost sacrifice to the sea gods. Since then, I've always been a bit nervous getting in the water. Ironically, I love eating seaweed. It's my own little revenge.
My "swim" is sort of a thrashing doggy-paddle, and yet I know exactly how you feel re: the water. I just joined a gym with a pool for this very purpose -- and I plan to sign up for adult swim classes (sad, true) just as soon as I feel brave enough to do so. So, yay! Here's to happy new gym endeavors for both of us.
The water is your friend and so very kind to your knees.
Courage and never mind the creature that lurks under the diving board.
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