Therapy Session #7

If you see us on the street, pretend you never read this

what we’re biting

grey: I was walking to a café in Brooklyn this week, which looked close to me on Google Maps (sorry Danielle, Citymapper is still too confusing), but was actually an hour-long walk. Things are not as they seem on Google Maps, I’m learning. When I got to the cafe, I realized I was in Navy Yard – like an actual shipyard – so, I thought I might as well go down to see the water. I arrived at a gate, a sign listing prices to pass through to the waterfront, and a security officer sitting in a tinted guardhouse. He asked me what I was doing there, and I told him I was trying to go see the water. He said, “You’re taking the ferry,” and I responded, “No, I’m not taking the Ferry. I just wanted to walk by the water, but I’m not looking to pay for any sort of pass.” And he repeated, “You’re taking the ferry.” And I repeated, “No, I’m not.” It went back and forth like this for a little while, until the officer said, “Look at me. Tell me you’re taking the ferry.” And I said, “Okay, I’m taking the ferry.”

Turns out, you can only see the water for free if you’re commuting to Manhattan, otherwise you’d have to buy a Navy Yard day pass. Anyways, I walked down to the ferry stop first, then veered right to see the ships and the Manhattan skyline. I always forget how big ships are, they are like huge. I took a selfie with a USS-something, and captioned it “where am I.” (Unfortunately, most pictures I take are sent to this one Snapchat group chat and not saved to my Camera Roll, so I can’t add it to the newsletter for proof.)

but here is a fitting sign

My bite for this week is about how task-oriented NYC is, and maybe everywhere else I’ve lived except for summertime in Alabama. Even on my way to dinner with a friend this week, I found myself lacing around slow walkers –and I noticed some sidewalk-road-rage bubbling up. But I was early to dinner, and I definitely didn’t need to be power walking. I’m adding a goal to my NYC Resolutions: to trust my instincts, to keep exploring for the sake of exploring. I don’t want to get lost in the tasks and to-do lists, and I don’t want to walk any faster.

I hate to be bored, but I love to be aimless – to walk outside, with no destination in mind, just because the weather is nice. And to take it all in and think. Even if I have to say I’m planning to take a ferry (or one day mean it), I think my secret is that I’m really just trying to see the water.

bella: Most days, I go to the gym (if I haven’t regrettably spent $28 to go to heated yoga sculpt). It’s one of the only activities to do in my hometown, unless getting drunk off of J.W.’s Pink Lemonades at the Cheesecake Factory is your vibe— in that case you can definitely do more than go to the gym.

The gym is a very male space. Workout classes are where women go, maybe because of all the misconceptions women hear about getting bulky if they lift weights, more likely because gym spaces are so uninviting for beginners and particularly beginner women. Nevertheless, I am often one of the only women among men at the gym. I enjoy watching their behavior closely, they’re quite amusing. This comes from a note called “types of guys i see at the gym”