So I am the slowest swimmer in the pool on most days. Unless of course if I go to Rossmoor, then I am the fastest, because usually I am the only one in the pool. But today I went to Brisbane, and I got my own lane, and I was swimming merrily along. As the day progressed more and more people started coming, and suddenly I had a lane mate. I looked up to see who it was, and it was a fairly large woman, much like me, maybe a little larger, and I thought oh she won't be faster then me.
When she lapped me for the second time, I had to put away all my prejudices. I guess large women can swim fast. Well faster then me. Big sigh. She had good form, and she seemed really comfortable in the water, she was just large, which made me automatically think she would be slow. Slow like me. I don't want people to look at me and say she's big so she must be slow. And if they think that I want to blow them away with how fast I really am. But I am not that fast now. I guess I want to be her.
But I also don't have a clue about how heavy or light people are. In group we had to put our weight down and how much we wanted to weight by the end of twelve weeks, and I glanced over to the woman sitting next to me I was shocked to see she was 20 pounds lighter then I was. I would have sworn she was heavier, at least in my mind she looked heavier then me. But then I have to think were I am coming from. I have no idea what I look like. Sometimes I think I am heavier then I am sometimes I think I am lighter then I am. I found myself looking at buying airplane seat belt extenders because I couldn't find mine, I know intellectually that I don't need them, but I worry about getting on a plane without them. Just in case I don't fit...
When she lapped me for the second time, I had to put away all my prejudices. I guess large women can swim fast. Well faster then me. Big sigh. She had good form, and she seemed really comfortable in the water, she was just large, which made me automatically think she would be slow. Slow like me. I don't want people to look at me and say she's big so she must be slow. And if they think that I want to blow them away with how fast I really am. But I am not that fast now. I guess I want to be her.
But I also don't have a clue about how heavy or light people are. In group we had to put our weight down and how much we wanted to weight by the end of twelve weeks, and I glanced over to the woman sitting next to me I was shocked to see she was 20 pounds lighter then I was. I would have sworn she was heavier, at least in my mind she looked heavier then me. But then I have to think were I am coming from. I have no idea what I look like. Sometimes I think I am heavier then I am sometimes I think I am lighter then I am. I found myself looking at buying airplane seat belt extenders because I couldn't find mine, I know intellectually that I don't need them, but I worry about getting on a plane without them. Just in case I don't fit...
Verrry interesting post. Gets me thinking.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to guess people's weight - most folks are way off on mine. It's also hard to guess speed - if you can get your strokes down to 25 per lap, you'll be cooking!
ReplyDeleteAs Twila said, verrry interesting and insightful.