Swimwear

This past Spring I bought a skirted bathing suit. A really cute skirted swimsuit, with shirring on the sides of the top that could be let down to just cover the bottoms. Not an old lady suit (I told myself), but definitely with more coverage than I usually wear. I am older, I weigh a little more than I used to, and I thought it was time to change my style of swimwear.

All summer I continued to wear my one-piece suits from previous years. I told myself it was because we were just at the lake; no one really cares what a person wears there. I told myself that I continued wearing my old suits because I didn’t want to get picks in the seat of my new suit from sitting on the dock.

We recently went to the beach and I packed my new (still unworn) skirted swimsuit. Mister had not even seen it. For some reason I was really embarrassed for him to see me in the skirted swimsuit. At the last minute I opened my suitcase and stuffed in one of my old swimsuits.

Navarre Beach was beautiful. Serene and with no crowds, it was just what we were looking for in a beach. I went up to the room to change into my swimsuit, and couldn’t put on the skirted suit. Seriously, I was having the kind of anxiety women get over being seen in public in a bikini. Turns out I am much more comfortable with my body than with covering my body.

Thirty years from now if you see an old fat lady at the beach wearing an inappropriately young swimsuit, just wave and tell me hello.