Swimming proceeds swimmingly. Perhaps I shall advance beyond the elementary backstroke. Then again, perhaps not. The walls of the pool are covered with information. I now know a length and a lap are different. A lap, I now know, is two lengths of the pool, a round trip. I keep track of my laps with alphabetized lists: vegetables, fruits, even cities in France. Asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, daikon, eggplant, fennel, green beans, Hubbard squash, and icicle radishes add up to a quarter mile. Today, I swam a half mile before grabbing a towel.
No one ever talks about the shower rooms at places like the Y, so I will. They are public. Very public. Young women with beautiful bodies shower away, unconcerned about being visible in the altogether. Old Baguettes like me with wrinkled bodies that sag and bulge also shower away, similarly unconcerned about being visible in the altogether. In between, however, are women with bodies in transition: no longer young, but not yet aged. These women do not want to be seen nude, so they shower invisibly, behind curtains.
I had to laugh at your shower observation, the truth of it. I am male, but have never felt comfortable with public nudity. Being a 97 pound weakling, then a 197 pound weakling, and then an old 197 pound weakling, I have never been able to strut my stuff with unconcern, and submitted to such humiliations only when required by law--gym class and the military. The older I get the more entrenched that notion becomes. I always joke that my deep sense of aesthetics instills in me a desire to spare the world of such unpleasantries, ergo avoiding places of even semi-nudity such as beaches, and certainly public showers.
ReplyDeleteA younger friend spent some time in Germany in the late 90s. He spoke of going to a nude beach--once! The lecherous side of me inquired so what was that like. He said not what one would imagine...with rare exceptions the only way to differentiate male from female was the amount of body hair on their chests. Again my sense of aesthetics....
I am glad to hear that your swimming is improving. It is supposed to be one of the best exercises, great cardio-vascular workout with no impact damage to the joints. Should be something I am doing. Alas, the showers.
Odd, I have been watching your blog every day. Today is the first day I have seen the swimming post, yet it is dated from last Wednesday.
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