Pilates! (A dramatized account in three parts)
Today was the first day of Monday classes, which also meant the first day of Bodywise fitness classes as well. I resolved myself to go to Yoga today, since it's still early in the semester and I'm not dying under a pile work quite as of yet (though I'm pretty close.) Unfortunately, I did have to go to work after class today, followed by doing some of what homework I did have. Since this took longer than I anticipated, I decided to go to core yoga, instead, being an hour later. When I was finally ready, I looked out the window at the bus I was intending on taking driving away. I know it seems silly to take a bus to a fitness class, especially since I tend to walk everywhere, but it was 11˚ today, plus Bodywise is across campus and uphill. But no matter, I decided to just take the next bus, which I got to on time. I sat down next to a girl wearing snow boots but carrying sneakers. Curious, I thought. Then I remembered, as I squirmed my toes in my large Moonboots, that you need to wear sneakers at yoga, and I couldn't just take off my nice warm snow boots upon arrival. So I got off the bus.
At this point, it was 3:40. Sign-up for fitness classes starts a half-hour before the class. It would probably already be full by now, so rushing upstairs, changing into my sneakers, rushing downstairs, waiting for the next bus, going across campus and arriving on time was futile. So i went upstairs, changed into my sneakers, grabbed the next bus, arrived at Bodywise at 4:15 and was nice and early for the Pilates class at 5. There were a few girls there already, but still, my trials weren't over! By 4:25, there was an inordinate number of girls with "New Year's Resolution" etched plainly on their faces. Some were bound to be turned away. I moved to the front of the room, casually checking my facebook while I was really watching the clock. When sign-up finally started, the girl at the desk asked everyone to line up according to when they had arrived. Naturally I hadn't been the first to arrive, but I wasn't backing down, not after all I had been through to get here! In acknowledgment, I allowed a few girls to line up in front of me. But then I was struck with a new fear! What if my ID didn't scan correctly?
You see, in the short time after I arrived and before the frenzied sign up, I made my way to little convenience store next door to the fitness to buy a bottle of water and an energy bar because I hadn't anything since breakfast. It was only a couple of days into the semester, so I knew I had plenty of points for the meagre transaction. And yet, the cashier was unable to get my card to register properly. I was forced to pay with cash, though it was only three dollars. I thought it was only a symptom of my aging ID card, which beeped imperiously a couple times before being accepted now and then. And now, seconds away from being admitted to the fitness I fought so hard for, I was in danger of being turned away for a petulant piece of plastic. Sure enough, when I presented my card to the girl at the desk, it beeped threateningly. And yet, the girl handed it back to me with a laminated card bearing the number six and pleasant but disinterested smile. I was in!
And then the real workout began.
No comments:
Post a Comment