My Inbox received an email from the Equinox Gym heralding Former Member’s Month promises upgrades and a waiver of the initiation fee. This was my response (slightly edited).
Clare,
Thank you for your email. I am not interested in taking advantage of the offer for several reasons which I will list.
1. I am meeting all of my fitness goals with my membership at the YWCA. I do water aerobics which is a suitable exercise for a woman of my age. I do rather doubt that the upgrades at the Equinox include a swimming pool. But do correct me if I am wrong.
2. Despite (or perhaps because of) my training at the Equinox I require knee replacement surgery. Fortunately I have USA health care and so will have the surgery soon. Here in Vancouver (perhaps Canada as a whole) your leg can fall off waiting for your ’turn’ on an interminable waiting list. Instead my surgery shall be soon and will be done by a physician outstanding in his field.
3. This is not THE major consideration BUT the YWCA is the best place to meet men. Hard working men train during their lunch hour but then go and relax in the jacuzzi. They are bare chested and their bathing suits are far more attractive than the work out clothes of the men at the Equinox. We chat and relax with one another – it does beat the bar scene for meeting quality men.
4. Last but not least – I am leaving Vancouver. I have been accepted to the Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London for their Master’s programme in Fine Arts and so shall return to London to live. I am ecstatic beyond belief.. Brian my London personal trainer and I have stayed in touch and I shall return to his competent care.
5. My personal trainer at the YWCA is Ayda – my exercises are appropriate for a woman of my age including a stretching regime in order to keep me limber and sciatica free. I am therefore able to retain a measure of mobility despite the problems with my right knee.
I will address other concerns directly to the manager of Equinox. Alexis McBride
Faithful readers know that the Equinox (and Hottie) played an enormous role in the beginning days of my Vancouver residency but, needless to say, that love affair is over. It is important to remember the good times when the affair beats the dust. I do try and one way is the response written to Clare, the Membership person. One step at a time, that is how my mind works. Sometimes the big picture can be overwhelming.
For many, many reasons I cannot imagine my life getting any better. I just did a Google search and found that the YMCA on Great Russell Street in London, England has a pool, so I can easily take water aerobics when in London. The Y is so close to Bedford Square, making life in in Bloomsbur ideal. Everything is coming together.
I am feeling so blessed, for so many reasons. I have reconnected with people I love, who love me back. My life is looking whole, not the fragmented segments present during most of my life. Good things and people have returned, fortunately toxic relationships have not been resumed. I am actually building new relationships with people in Vancouver, therefore coming back to visit is looking most attractive, something inconceivable as recently as a month ago. One reason for my happiness is that there are no men in my life – well “romantic men”. . I have given that up but forced, however, to recall that this is a stance taken many times in the past three years.but abandoned. It is abundantly clear that the message to those guys needs to be: Walk Away. It is important to keep this in mind and to count the number of men who I care for and who deeply care for me. Romance does not raise its ugly head with them. We laugh and sport, drink whiskey, speak of serious things, work together and occasionally argue. These men tolerate the changes I have made, and do encourage me in my every endeavour.
Plans for my trip to San Francisco continue in earnest even checking the long term weather forecast. Three days of rain, my goodness what the goodness is going on here? My hotel has a swimming pool, a jacuzzi and a rip roaring fire pit. I do rather need some R and R. My place of rest has near by restaurants and great places to shop. I shall be fine, It has been a lazy day but need to get dressed as I am going for a blow dry with Vicky of Suki’s.
My coffee table displays a book purchased in December of 2018 at the car boot sale in London for a mere pound. It is Zach Heller’s Branding fo Bloggers: Tips to Grow Your Online Audience & Maximize Your Income. It is pure and utter laughable nonsense. Heller grandiosely states: “In a world where 54,000 new blogs are started each and every day, those blogs that succeed will be the ones that have a well thought out marketing plan.” Where in the world did he get those numbers? Trust me thee is no bibliography in this sleek little paperback. The first step, in the word according to Heller, is to ask one simple question: “Why are people reading my blog?” How, pray tell, am I supposed to know that and how, pray tell, can I find that out? And, Mr. Heller, I will break this to you gently BUT, this blog did not have a well thought out marketing plan. It had no marketing plan whatsoever. Some of his advice could also be advice for living, for example: “But we know what happens when you try to please all the people all the time; you loose sight of your own vision and you end up appealing to no one.” It took me about seventy years to learn that and when I stopped trying to please people THEY love me – well not all.
He: Alexis, you are like Marmite. People either love you or hate you.
Me: And in which camp are you?
Almost three years later it is apparent that he was in the hate crowd.
The book is boring me, so it must be boring you as well. So I will find some more pithy quotes and subtly drop them in subsequent blogs. My goodness, pithy, such a word: terse and vigorously expressive. (His characteristically pithy comments.) On that high note I shall close and get on with my day. It is actually clear, there are no clouds in the sky and it is not raining.
A training session with Ayda, water aerobics and a soak and chat in the jacuzzi. Not bad for a girl born in Saskatchewan.
I include a cartoon from The Bloody Best of Dagsson, that wonderful Icelandic man.
