A turning point – yesterday, Wednesday, is the day of the Y class I’ve been doing, for better or worse, for over three decades; the group of us have been together there so long, they feel like another, sweaty kind of family. I’ve been too sick to go for a couple of weeks, so wanted to go yesterday. No, I thought, it’s cold and wet outside and I’m not well enough.

And then I thought, I’m going! And I went. And there they were, the team, my buddies. How are you? they cried. We missed you! I wasn’t able to do much, but I was there, and just seeing their faces was healing. I was never ever a fitness buff, started to go to the Y regularly in 1990 as a divorcee, just to meet people, get out, have an anchor to my day. The place, the class has been a lifesaver, over and over again. Lolita, on her knees centre here in a class last week, had a thermos with her in the gym that was not water but soup, she told me – kale, pumpkin, and carrot soup. She insisted I take more Vitamin C. I assured her I would.

Thanks to everyone. Love you.

Watched Harry interviewed on Colbert. Have to say, he comes across as a sincere, conscientious, traumatized, courageous man with a great sense of humour and a lot of humility. Hard not to like and root for him, especially when you understand the extent of the vileness of the British press and how it has impacted his life. One of the best interviews ever. Colbert going on and on about his frostbitten penis! A rare moment. 

And then I watched The Wonder, from the Emma Donahue novel. Beautifully filmed and acted, though I think Florence Pugh is almost too strong and self-possessed to be realistic in the 1860s, not to mention her perfect teeth, a detail that always makes me smile in historical British movies. A mystery, a psychological thriller, and once again, a powerful condemnation of the Roman Catholic church.

Re work: just got the first comments back on the essay manuscript from friend and student Jennifer. Valuable comments, especially that I have given no thought to chapter titles. Work to do. 

And the latest episode of the podcast has just dropped. Six down, many to go.

This term’s teaching starts tonight with the home class, and then next Monday and Tuesday, two U of T classes on Zoom. I hope to have my lungs back by then. The Y will help.