[nycfem]

Today is the first day of my Spring Break (well, I wouldn't have had to go to school on a Saturday but you know what I mean!). I am off for a week! And it's finally spring in NYC!

Today I spent two hours in Riverside Park. I walked and did some stair climbing on the St. Clair Stairs. It's nice to be out of the gym, feeling the sun, experiencing the various terrains, and people watching. Everyone was happy it was spring today.

I had a funny experience in the park. I walked by this woman on a bench, and as I passed by she frowned and gave a universal sign: a big, clear "thumbs down." I thought, "Oh, my, I must have offended." I tried to assess myself and see if I forgot to put on pants or something. Then I thought, maybe it's my "Pride" shirt, but it's a very subtle rainbow pride shirt, so that seemed doubtful. I reversed course so that I could walk by her again and see if I got the "thumbs down" sign again, maybe this time with a comment that would clarify things. As I did she was now sitting with a man (perhaps a husband?), and I realized that likely she had been communicating with him from across the way, and that I had not seen him and thought the thumbs down sign was for me. When I passed them, they did not even seem to see me, which would make sense, since I was a stranger.

Then I went to the gym. It was wonderfully quiet and empty, save for a few regulars. There is an older Asian woman who I've mentioned before. She is petite and muscular, and we have a very similar routine that makes it so we are sometimes in each others space, using the weights the other one wants, etc. We handle it with quiet dignity. Anyway we were lifting weights next to each other and doing yoga (blah blah), and then she sat with her head in her hands for a long while. I wondered if she was upset about something and thinking it out. Then she said to me, "Hold my hand." She has tiny hands and wears weight lifting gloves, so my bare hand held her gloved hand. A few moments passed and she said, "Help me up slowly. I have vertigo, and I just had a very bad episode." It was a tender moment, and I doubt we will ever speak of it, but I'm glad she knew that we had a trusted relationship from being together so much, even if in silence.