she-woman-man-haters club OR kickboxing aerobics

I signed up for a kickboxing class, I am trying a new thing called branching out. Now I think I am good for a while.

I get to the place 15 minutes early to sign up and pay, which ended up being a good thing because I was the only one there until 3 minutes after class was planned to start. I highly recommend sitting alone in a junior high gym, nothing like it to bring back painful memories of puberty.

Eventually the instructor rolls in and asks me if I have ever done kickboxing before. Um, no. She lets me know it's super hard and to not get discouraged. Um, okay, thank you for the huge self esteem boost. That's just what I needed.

The instructor, from now on known as kickboxing master, is gathering up fans since it is at least a million degrees, as the other three ladies walk in. Okay. I am just being honest here when I say they each have to weigh at least 275. Okay, 250. All of these ladies are mid-fifties, and seem to be all around ticked off at the world. Just who I want to be next too for jump kicks.

Kickboxing master asks them how their weeks were...HELLO! Horrible question! I now know all about their divorces, awful boss's and man hating ways. I truly believe they have a she-woman-man hater's club.

Five minutes into the class I am starting to relax into it, fine, I love it. Every kickboxing moment of it. Cross, cross, jab, back kick...the kickboxing master wants to add on another element to this mix; she describes it as taking a man's head and bashing it in your knee. Cool.

I am a nice person, I have no repressed aggression. Okay, maybe a little bit. Nothing compared to what I witnessed at this class though.

I was actually forced to scream when I kicked or the kickboxing master would make me count off punches. Naturally, that would be too embarrassing so every kick I was the fifth voice that made our beautiful symphony of angry women. But I didn't feel angry, I felt liberated! I learned to do jump kicks, round-off kicks, and most importantly, upper cuts.

I guess that somewhere between my high knees and my screams we bonded, because the most angry of the angry ladies invited me back next week (I guess they want me in their club) and informed me that on Fridays they do Tai Chi together.

Only one thing to say to an invitation like that. HI freaking YA.