Don’t show any

“No, nothing that I can show polite company.” I say with a laugh. She smiles along, trying to figure out if I’m joking or not.

“Is that so? People sure seem less inhibited about sharing... weird photos and things these days. It makes me anxious just thinking about it.”

“How do you mean?”

“Is it just considered normal to be sending nude photos? And... I don’t know... people...groom differently... And how soon do people expect to have sex? All that stuff. I don’t know how things work now. I feel antiquated, and it’s just a lot to navigate for this old lady. Sorry, you didn’t need to hear all that.”

“Well that totally makes sense,” I assure her. I don’t know if I should try to answer any of her questions or not. “You don’t have to figure it all out at once. Right now, just focus on workouts and eating well. Hey, speaking of photos...let’s take a post-workout selfie!”

“Oh, you have to be kidding. I look awful!”

“Nonsense. This is all about showing how hard we worked, sweat and all. Ready?” I get close to her, put my arm around her shoulders and snap the pic. She is smiling in it, in her clingy shirt, wet pits and all.

She looks at it and scowls. “You look great, but I am a mess. Please don’t put that on facebook.”

“No, I won’t. It marks the start of the journey.” Mindy starts to shiver, the air conditioning finally drawing the last heat from her clothes. “Time to hit the showers!”