To See Ourselves As Others See Us
I knew I ought to get some exercise yesterday, but I didn't really feel like doing the full "hamster in a wheel" thing in the gym. On the other hand I needed a bit more than a stroll round the park. Then I spotted a class called "Power Walking" at 6 o'clock, location "Outside". They say you should try everything once except incest and Morris Dancing, so I thought let's give it a spin.
You can probably tell where this is going. I turned up at 6 o'clock and it was a girls' class ! Oh no ! I couldn't really back out at that point so off we set, a dozen women in their hot pants and me at the back (eyes strictly on the road of course). As someone who, like Arthur Dent, is capable of feeling self-conscious in the presence of a pot plant, this was a challenge as they say at work. In fact we went straight past our office (don't think anyone spotted me though) and up the road towards Barnet, attracting various beeps and ribald comments from the rush hour traffic. Well not that many, although the guy outside a pub who shouted out "Oy mate, you must feel really out of place with those women" certainly fancied himself as a comedian. "But you're totally at home surrounded by fat drunken idiots" I shot back. By shot back, I mean thought. 20 minutes later. I'll never make a comedian myself.
Once we were off the main road though I started enjoying it. It was generally a lot more civilised than pounding it out in the gym with Capital Radio bending your ears. And as I was chatting to one of the girls on the way back she said "You must be very confident to go on this walk with all of us". I had to smile (but managed not to laugh which was a plus). Image is everything after all.
You can probably tell where this is going. I turned up at 6 o'clock and it was a girls' class ! Oh no ! I couldn't really back out at that point so off we set, a dozen women in their hot pants and me at the back (eyes strictly on the road of course). As someone who, like Arthur Dent, is capable of feeling self-conscious in the presence of a pot plant, this was a challenge as they say at work. In fact we went straight past our office (don't think anyone spotted me though) and up the road towards Barnet, attracting various beeps and ribald comments from the rush hour traffic. Well not that many, although the guy outside a pub who shouted out "Oy mate, you must feel really out of place with those women" certainly fancied himself as a comedian. "But you're totally at home surrounded by fat drunken idiots" I shot back. By shot back, I mean thought. 20 minutes later. I'll never make a comedian myself.
Once we were off the main road though I started enjoying it. It was generally a lot more civilised than pounding it out in the gym with Capital Radio bending your ears. And as I was chatting to one of the girls on the way back she said "You must be very confident to go on this walk with all of us". I had to smile (but managed not to laugh which was a plus). Image is everything after all.
2 Comments:
It's at this stage you need to raise - did you get any telephone numbers?
No doubt you're right.
Of course, I actually passed and waited for a better opportunity.
Andy.
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