Category Archives: Uncategorized

Standing Room Only – –

Posted on by
1

Jack makes it on time for his Wednesday blog post – –

Wendy is attending a conference in Albuquerque and I went along too for a rare vacation.

I booked our flights to and from Knoxville airport and found that the most convenient schedule was with ‘Frontier Airlines’ which just involved a two-hour layover in Denver. The flights were fairly cheap but that was where things got interesting.

After booking the flights I discovered that the seats (any seats) were extra, and so was a carry-on bag. There would be (limited) snacks and drinks available but also with an extra charge! Seats were allocated at check-in and couldn’t be chosen beforehand.

The airline uses Airbus 320 planes which are more or less equivalent to Boeing 737s and I had flown in them a number of times in the past. However, when we boarded for the five-hour flight to Denver I was dismayed to see that the seats were thin, hard and non-reclining. The customary screen wasn’t on the back of the seat in front or hanging from the ceiling, so no entertainment or info on the flight progress.

By the time we reached Denver my legs were stiff and my bum was sore!

The onward flight to Albuquerque was in an identical Airbus but more bearable as it was only two hours long.

I remarked to Wendy that Airbus was a very appropriate name – almost like the Greyhound Bus of the air.

We were almost the only people wearing masks at the airports or on the planes – –

Our return flight will be with American Airlines so it will be interesting to compare and contrast!

A Beautiful, Brief Community

Posted on by
4

Decisions were made.

The early morning water class I joined in January attracted five women. We circled in the shallow end of the pool and did the pendulum swing, rockette kick, and cross country skis to the soft music of a CD so memorized we sang the lyrics of Jesse’s Girl while doing jumping jacks.

deep

And we talked to each other. In January we were five individuals keeping New Year’s resolutions. By February we were allies, chatting nine to the dozens as our fearless instructor Kim deftly inserted “inside ankle” between discussions.

One was a retired teacher, widowed. One took care of her Alzheimer’s mother, who thought her daughter was a rival for her husband (who was married to the daughter, not the mom). One was navigating family trauma, the pillar to which the rest clung as they tried to sort things out.

By March, we needed each other. The morning class became the high point of my exercise week. On other days I cycled strong (350 calories burned per class!) Zumba-ed with laughter and sweat, kick boxed shouting names at the bag. It was all nice, but the reward was going to that Tuesday morning women’s swimming circle.

In April, we were notified that low attendance would lead to changes. In May, the class was just like every other thing the gym does. The spontaneous community that moved from skimming the surface to deep water became an aquatics aerobics class where the music pumped as we were urged to give it our all.

A different kind of give, the one the gym is set up for. Mission drift, increased class attendance, all that had to be taken into account. The gym is there so people can exercise. Decisions were made, in keeping with its mission and presumably its financial needs.

But oh, what I would give to have that quiet Tuesday morning community back, five women swinging in time to the rhythm of our shared life stories, unparalleled strength, giving it our all in the most true sense of those words.

Nothing golden can stay. Sometimes, nothing aqua blue can stay. Life goes on.