Sagging--in all its splendor!“Shitsureishimasu,” she announced suddenly.
Roughly translated as, “Excuse my rudeness,” those words are a hallmark of Japan’s traditionally genteel manners that make it possible for people to get along here despite the fact that this is one of the most crowded nations in the world. (For example, there are more than 14,000 people jam-packed into every square mile of Tokyo, where we live.) Perhaps times are changing!
Before I had a chance to respond or even understand what she was really saying, the athletic trainer-to-be grabbed my right hip in her hand and gave it a firm squeeze. Then, to my growing surprise, she declared loudly enough for everyone in the gym to hear, “Just as I thought! Your hips are sagging!”
Recovering slightly, I joked back, “At this age, everything is sagging!”
To which she responded, but without the slightest hint of jest, “Hmmm,” meaning—and not at all subtly—“I agree entirely.” I was joking; she wasn’t, not even a bit.
So there you have it—a one-word evaluation of my physique at 52 years of age: sagging. Whether it’s the bags under my eyes that exceed the allowable size for airplane carry on pieces, the soft undersides of my arms that wave like flags in the wind, or other less noticeable (when fully clothed) areas of my body, the word with which I was branded is unfortunately as specific and accurate as the nutrition facts labels on food products. But then again, isn’t that why we joined the training gym? Believe me, it’s not because we’ve got an excess of spare time to kill!
Sagging. And to think there was a time when one of my biggest worries was how my mini-skirt or striped bell bottoms looked on my still slim legs and how my floppy suede hat appeared on my back-length, straight, yet-uncolored brown hair. (Yes, I was coming of age in the late 60s.) Reading this morning’s headlines, “Hamas takes control of Gaza,” I thought about how times and appearances—and worries—have changed.
In this day of change, I am so glad that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He is the one constant on whom I can depend.
Roughly translated as, “Excuse my rudeness,” those words are a hallmark of Japan’s traditionally genteel manners that make it possible for people to get along here despite the fact that this is one of the most crowded nations in the world. (For example, there are more than 14,000 people jam-packed into every square mile of Tokyo, where we live.) Perhaps times are changing!
Before I had a chance to respond or even understand what she was really saying, the athletic trainer-to-be grabbed my right hip in her hand and gave it a firm squeeze. Then, to my growing surprise, she declared loudly enough for everyone in the gym to hear, “Just as I thought! Your hips are sagging!”
Recovering slightly, I joked back, “At this age, everything is sagging!”
To which she responded, but without the slightest hint of jest, “Hmmm,” meaning—and not at all subtly—“I agree entirely.” I was joking; she wasn’t, not even a bit.
So there you have it—a one-word evaluation of my physique at 52 years of age: sagging. Whether it’s the bags under my eyes that exceed the allowable size for airplane carry on pieces, the soft undersides of my arms that wave like flags in the wind, or other less noticeable (when fully clothed) areas of my body, the word with which I was branded is unfortunately as specific and accurate as the nutrition facts labels on food products. But then again, isn’t that why we joined the training gym? Believe me, it’s not because we’ve got an excess of spare time to kill!
Sagging. And to think there was a time when one of my biggest worries was how my mini-skirt or striped bell bottoms looked on my still slim legs and how my floppy suede hat appeared on my back-length, straight, yet-uncolored brown hair. (Yes, I was coming of age in the late 60s.) Reading this morning’s headlines, “Hamas takes control of Gaza,” I thought about how times and appearances—and worries—have changed.
In this day of change, I am so glad that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He is the one constant on whom I can depend.
