A chance encounter

[darkemeralds]

I've taken some pleasure lately in the fact that I can once again buy "regular" sized clothes in "regular" stores, and have enjoyed not being limited to the sometimes-bizarre styles on offer in the plus-size shops. So it was kind of a whim for me to stop in at The Avenue this afternoon, just to look around.

A striking looking woman of my height sighed as she leafed through a rack of trousers. "They always run out of talls," she said, and I agreed that talls were rare in this shop. Then she spotted a pair, said they were a size too small, held them up, and added, "But I'm losing weight, so they might fit in a few weeks."

"How are you doing it?" I asked.

"My own way," she said. "I eat whatever I want, but less of it. I've tried everything else. Oh, and I Zumba twice a week."

You must understand that I rarely talk to strangers. I'm what you might call aloof. I don't mean to be, but I just am. Finding myself in avid conversation with a stranger in a neighborhood clothing shop was both strange and delightful, and I hope I know how to seize an opportunity when it insists. I asked this woman--Lesley, her name is--where she takes Zumba.

At a club in my neighborhood, it turns out. A nice club, a local one, where women of all sizes feel welcome. The Zumba teacher on Tuesday and Thursday evenings is plus-size herself, and everyone has a good time. "You could come with me as my guest the first time," Lesley said. "And if you wanted to join the club, I could probably talk them into giving you the discount they give me." Lesley is the type of woman who could probably talk anyone into anything. "And then you can take all the Zumba, and yoga, and Pilates classes for free! And it's open 24 hours a day!"

So I'm gonna go. We exchanged phone numbers, set a date (next Tuesday), and I'm going to meet Lesley at ME Fitness on the corner of Martin Luther King and Alberta (about 16 blocks from home), and finally try Zumba.

Oh, and I found a pair of nice black slacks in 14 Tall that look fabulous. zoz

Comments

[panisdead]

That is so awesome! I'm grinning like crazy just reading this.

[darkemeralds]

I know, right? Me too! It's amazing how obstacles and objections melt away, and help arrives, when the time is finally right.

[bluemeridian]

Shopping off the rack at a regular store! \o/ \o/

[darkemeralds]

In this instance I was shopping off the rack at a plus size store, and happily discovering that their lowest size, 14, sometimes fits and is sometimes too big, but is never in short supply, just the way the teeny sizes are always filling the clearance racks at the regular size stores.

The plus size shop also offers me the advantage of bigger size socks and hosiery, which is nice because my feet aren't going to get any smaller, nor my legs any shorter.

But yeah, getting down into the mainstream sizes really opens the fashion doors, and I'm enjoying it.

[blueraccoon]

Don't be so sure about your feet not getting any smaller. I lost all my weight and went from a size 9 to a size 8.5. How this happened completely baffled me, because I've been a regular 9 since wearing adult shoes. I was edging into 9W or 9.5 territory at my highest weight, so getting back to a regular 9 wasn't surprising, but then my feet got smaller. I'm still bitter about all my shoes that no longer fit...

[darkemeralds]

I remember you mentioning this! Though I haven't lost a shoe size or anything, my feet have returned to being a little narrower, which is nice. But I wear an 11 now, and even if I shrink all the way to a 10, socks and hosiery still tend to be a bit of a literal stretch. It's nice to find them made for larger feet. It's surprising how uncomfortable too-small socks can be!

(I sincerely hope I don't wind up at a 10-1/2--IMPOSSIBLE size to fit!)

[ranunculus]

WooT!!!

[darkemeralds]

\o/

[vampirefan]

you know, i am also aloof at the store. weird how i would never think to give someone i just met in a store my number but have given posted it publicly on the internets. lol!

also, omg. we are both size 14!! but i bet you look waaaaaaaay thinner because you are taller. :)

also also - ZUMBA! and i hope you do get a good discount!

[darkemeralds]

I surprised the heck out of myself by doing it, but I just really connected with this woman. We had a great conversation and were in the store together for at least an hour. It was really fun!

I can't remember if you told me you'd tried Zumba--have you? I'm excited to finally have an "in" to get started, so I don't have to go by myself to a strange new place. Leslie says she never misses it, because it's just so much fun. I hear that from everyone who goes. I think I'm about ready for something like that.

(Size 14 is a very flexible concept, by the way. Who knows WHAT it means from one clothing line to the next? I know that the last time I was around my current weight, I wore at least a 16, and the size 14 slacks I bought at Avenue today fit me similarly to the size 18 jeans I have from Land's End a few years ago. Go figure. But anyway, I am quite a bit slimmer than when you were here, and I do have quite a ways to go, but it's all good!)

[executrix]

It just goes to show that when you need a new direction in your life...go shopping!

[darkemeralds]

And speak to strangers!

[tehomet]

A happy accident, meeting her. Good for you!

I kinda wish I had a buddy to go to dance class with. It's not fun dragging myself there when I'm already tired, so it would help to have someone to go with. But at least I always do go and I definitely enjoy it when I get there, and I'm sure you're going to have a blast at your exercise classes. Strength in numbers! :)

[darkemeralds]

I am full of admiration for you for going by yourself. I don't mind continuing an activity on my own, but starting is a whole different matter. Knocking on the door, being new by myself...I find all that very difficult.

Having a friendly face to meet my first time will make all the difference, and there's no doubt that I'll go more regularly if I know somebody's kind of expecting me, or counting on me to show up for moral support.

[runningwater]

Oh, I can't wait to hear what you think about Zumba! I keep seeing ads for it, and a vids on YouTube, and am very curious. :)

Also, yay on the pants! :)

[darkemeralds]

Zumba this evening at 6:00. I'm pretty excited. I'll definitely be reporting.