After prepping for rehearsal I pulled my dinner out of my lunch box and sat down next to ASM to eat. She's a local highschooler who speaks plainly and spends table work editing her college essays. She glanced at my kale salad and said, "You eat so healthy."
Guys, I laughed. I wasn't laughing at her, I was just laughing. I felt like I was just not living my life, not even that anyone was joking around. My ASM looked very confused so I apologized, "I'm sorry and thank you for saying that. It's just a new thing for me, is why I'm laughing. A new thing."
Yesterday morning I swam laps at the pool before work. There is an older guy who swims there too who likes to talk to me when he gets the chance. He's probably in his 70s and wears those silly nose clip things that keep water out of your nose. He seems sweet but sometimes I don't know how to deal with him; he is always complimentary but I don't like the way his compliments imply that he watches me.
Yesterday I had a lane to myself for a bit and sure enough, he jumped in to join me. We swam without talking for a while and when I got out to stretch he hung out at the wall. Two weeks ago he told he admired my stamina, referring (I think) to the sets of ten laps I do at (for me) high speeds. I'd responded that I was trying to lower my time. Yesterday he asked me how my times were coming along and I said I wasn't as focused on it as before, due to an injury. He seemed concerned, asked if I was okay, and then said, "your progress has been incredible to watch." It was quite a thing to say. I mean, a little creepy from an older man-type stranger but still very powerful.
I have no way to look outside myself, none of us do. But yesterday I had two unrelated people, two almost strangers, really, who don't know me or my story, give me a little insight on the outside. They told me what they see when they look at me and sometimes that is invaluable.
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