I was visted by the ghost of Christmas Past.....

I should have known. I should have known when I went to check into my gym and the man smiled encouragingly, and handed me the key, that something was wrong. Alarm bells should have gone off when he said “good for you”. Of course, as I walked away from the desk he froze me in my tracks by calling out “there is a middle school class using part of the pool.” My first instinct was to run back to the desk and snatch my card back and run out of the gym as quickly as possible. Instead I knew I had to keep going because what would be my reason? I briefly considered slipping off to the fitness room and grabbing a treadmill, but I had a bathing suit on under some pretty hideous clothing and I didn’t think flip-flops would work on an elliptical machine. So I flung open the door to the girls locker room only to be greeted by a gaggle of pre-pubescent, preening middle school girls. As I tiptoed through the wet bikinis strewn around the locker room floor I could almost hear them wondering “Why is this old lady was going to the pool?” I manage to stuff my bag into a locker (with no lock because I never bring one) and did the dreaded task of removing my protective cover up clothing as the prima donnas brushed and blow-dried their hair. As I quickly exited to the pool I had the horrible thought that they might steal my shirt or something from my locker. Knowing that there was nothing I could do about it now, I stepped out. The moment I was on the pool deck I knew I had made a deadly mistake. If preening middles school girls were intimidating, then the pack of pimply-faced, splashing, middle school boys in the pool, made me want to walk out the fire door. Hearing their voices cracking as they dunked each other was like nails on a chalkboard. Knowing that all middle-schoolers sense fear like animals, I calmly got in the pool. I made sure I did not make eye contact and with them and went about my work out. I had forgotten how in middle school you are soo self-conscious. I was aware of all parts of me. I felt klutzy and awkward, just like middle school. I just wanted to hide, which is pretty much everyone’s middle school experience. But I am a tough old lady, and I refused to be intimidated by these sacks of raging hormones. In fact I stayed longer just to prove to myself that I could face such a nightmare! When I went back into the locker room I was treated to the same girls, (can you believe that were still there??)you know the ones, they workout in full makeup and hair, if they swim it is for 10 minutes and then take an hour to blow-dry their hair. They were discussing their noses and what nose they wished they had. Once again, I scooted around the swimsuits. I grabbed my bag, and everything was there. I felt a moment of triumph as I emerged from the locker room and walked very quickly to my car. Hey at least I can drive!!