NYT OPINION: I Am Not 80 Yet, but Among These 80-Year-Olds Is Where I Like to Be
By Bonnie Tsui
Section: Opinion
Source: New York Times
Published Date: April 1, 2023 at 03:00AM
Throughout the day, you’ll find bodies and bottoms of every type on display, ranging from squishy baby to saggy lady. But this is not the kind of place where short-lived resolutions to lose 15 pounds get made or broken. Here, the arc of fitness is long, and it bends toward seniors.
The hour when I frequent the pool for my lap swim has long coincided with the 8 a.m. aqua aerobics class, taught by Kathe, a calm, convivial woman with honey-colored hair and a beatific smile. Many of her devotees are in their 80s. Some are there for physical therapy after an injury; others are contending with the incessant aches and pains of age. In that crowded warren of benches and communal showers, where every flick of a towel or reach of an arm brings you into someone else’s personal space, ordinary civilities carry larger import.
I am not 80. But among these 80-year-olds is where I like to be.
I first came to this pool after my second child was born and my family moved across the bay from San Francisco to Berkeley. This is where I reclaimed my body, a little softer and a lot more tired, as my own. Day after day in the outdoor pool, I pulled and kicked my way back into the swimming habits that made me feel like, well, me.
By Bonnie Tsui
Section: Opinion
Source: New York Times
Published Date: April 1, 2023 at 03:00AM
In this locker room, the arc of fitness is long.
At my community pool, the locker room is a tableau on aging.Throughout the day, you’ll find bodies and bottoms of every type on display, ranging from squishy baby to saggy lady. But this is not the kind of place where short-lived resolutions to lose 15 pounds get made or broken. Here, the arc of fitness is long, and it bends toward seniors.
The hour when I frequent the pool for my lap swim has long coincided with the 8 a.m. aqua aerobics class, taught by Kathe, a calm, convivial woman with honey-colored hair and a beatific smile. Many of her devotees are in their 80s. Some are there for physical therapy after an injury; others are contending with the incessant aches and pains of age. In that crowded warren of benches and communal showers, where every flick of a towel or reach of an arm brings you into someone else’s personal space, ordinary civilities carry larger import.
I am not 80. But among these 80-year-olds is where I like to be.
I first came to this pool after my second child was born and my family moved across the bay from San Francisco to Berkeley. This is where I reclaimed my body, a little softer and a lot more tired, as my own. Day after day in the outdoor pool, I pulled and kicked my way back into the swimming habits that made me feel like, well, me.
Read more at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/01/opinion/locker-rooms-swimming-pools.html
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