Saturday was the most incredibly wonderful day. The weather was gorgeous, my goodness I love San Francisco weather. It was sunny and warm, but not too warm – there was no wind, there was no fog. It was clear and the air was fresh. Personal Driver picked me up and off we went to the Presidio YMCA for my water aerobics class. The first since returning from London.
My favourite YMCA employee was on duty, she welcomed me back, reinstating my membership. It was on hold because I was away in London – the Y is great that way, It is just the best facility ever and I do know my Ys. Faithful readers will remember that my first job after graduating from the University of Alberta in 1964 was with the Edmonton YWCA. Then there have been others – the Marin YMCA for a brief period, the Bloomsbury YMCA in London, then most recently the Vancouver YWCA which proved to be the best place to meet men. The YWCA was located in downtown Vancouver, its dues inexpensive compared to other gyms – for instance, the horribly expensive and horrible Equinox on West Georgia Street. So men would join the YWCA, work out at lunch, and then go sit in the jacuzzi and be there for the taking. Well, not exactly, but great chats were held. I would go sit in the jacuzzi after the water aerobics class – they were very good and so I was able to keep in shape despite my bum knee.
But back to the here and now. So my bathing suit was under my clothes, so threw off the clothes put them into a locker, showered and eased myself into the cold water of the pool but after much bouncing up and down it was ok. It was the best class and it felt so good, so marvellously good as my knee is better and I felt totally like myself again – the self that was in shape, the self that defies age because I take care of myself. So I bounced and danced to the music and waved my arms around in great enthusiasm. But at some point, near the end of the hour – there came the realization that I was tired and had overdone it. So to the side of the pool to do some leg extensions taught by Brian in London and then to the jacuzzi. Later, when the class was over other women came to the jacuzzi. The women had been coming to the class for years and years and all loved it. One woman lived nearby and could just walk, the others came from a distance. One from Marin – she was there with her daughter who was eleven and the most amazing eleven year old I have ever met. She has the greatest clothes taste, she is super smart and she has a pet owl (stuffed) who has an Instagram account. Perhaps I will get Bunny an Instagram account. Bunny is going to get a new name – his name is going to be Fazza. Diligent readers will know that is the Sultan’s Arabic name and it means one who helps. My bunny helps me and comforts me – so there, so there, so there. I will take a picture of him so everyone can see how handsome he is. It is a good thing he is a stuffed bunny though because the Sultan has falcons and bunnies are prey to falcons. Life can be so funny sometimes – well mine anyway.
So I chatted with many women and then a woman I thought I recognized got into the hot tub and said:
She: Alexis!
Me: Oh my goodness I do know you! You looked so familiar but my life has been so strange for the past five years and so many people have floated in an out of my life that I was not sure.
Well there she was, she is such an admirable person, has a highly important and significant job working with the California Courts. It was like a wonderful gift to see her and then to learn that she works about five blocks from me and we can have lunch together once in awhile. It just seems amazing because so many people have fallen away. To oblivion, that great word – its synonyms being: non-existence, limbo, void, vacuum, nothingness, nihility, nullity, extinction, anonymity, neglect, disregard. ANTONYMS fame.
So people have gone into limbo, into a void, a vacuum and into nothingness and practically into extinction and anonymity. But then all of a sudden someone jumps back into my life. It is rather joyous. Now, to be perfectly clear, a lot of the people in obscurity cannot come back because it is impossible because there is too much water under the bridge.
Do let us look up that phrase. It is a term used to describe when too much bad stuff has happened to ever make the situation right again.
During the writing of this blog I was simultaneously texting a man who was in my life but then left and now, having returned to the USA, is texting again. However, already we have gotten into a disagreement – quickly we are back to where we were when we parted. It looks (at this moment) that there is too much water under the bridge. I guess we shall see. I cannot remember when he left my life, it was before my London holiday.
Now onto something serious which will utterly confuse you. I am so enjoying my New Yorker magazine which features letters to the editor. One was written by a man who lives in Tomales, which is close to here – in Marin County actually if I remember correctly. He wrote discussing an article written by Joan Acocella, (actually an author I am familiar with and admire). She was reviewing a book written about Gilgamesh and Michael wrote “…Gilgamesh like humanity has failed to transcend. The message—if you can conquer your unconscious, you can conquer death—is a profound one, in line with mystical texts from many traditions.” This has so much meaning to me as, for various reasons, I daily undertake to conquer my unconscious because I suffer from preverbal maternal neglect. To all of you doubters:
Me: It is scientific. As Patrick Monaghan famously said: “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not to their own facts.”
I blogged about this in the past, with my writer’s diarrhoea I have blogged just about everything. I do not have writer’s block – I have writer’s diarrhea but I have no editor to stop me. The joys of blogging. Hahahaha
The photograph is of me and my stuffed animal. It was pictured on Instagram with the following caption.
Me: Bunny has a new name. It is Fazza which is Arabic for one who helps. And he helps me, hugs me when I need them and sleeps on my pillow. He helps me with my knee and it is all better now! More on blog tomorrow.
Now you have to admit – he is pretty handsome, My Fazza!
