The Strange Women in the Pool

The Strange Women in the Pool

This morning, I attended a community-center event for neighborhood women to “fill up their fuel tanks” for the long summer vacation ahead. The event started out with a few hours at a nearby hotel spa, and the first thing I and a lot of the women did was take a dip in the pool.

Funny thing was these strange women kept on smiling at me in the pool as though they knew me.

Until I realized that these were not strange women– they were Sharona! Sarit! Racheli! Hadassah!

But without their haircoverings–a scarf, a wig, a hat– I had NO IDEA who they were.

A bit of their holiness, specialness, majesty left behind in the locker room. Like a pool full of queens going bareheaded instead of wearing their royal crowns.

4 comments

  1. I thought you were going to say that they recognized you from your blog..:)

    • JewishMom

      that also happens! I get a lot of smiles from women I don’t know, and I never know if they are just really friendly or if they know a lot more about me than I know about them!

  2. Mina Gordon

    What a beautiful observation!Especially the last two lines!! Chana,you have a special pen, but even more special are the eyes with which you look upon the world!!

  3. Were you covering your hair? I always do, even when I’m with women. It bothers me greatly but I can’t seem to just let loose in public, even where there’s only women, I wish I could. somehow for me covering my hair is not at ALL about modesty in front of other men: it’s about intimacy between me and my husband, he’s the only one in the world who sees me bareheaded. so I have a hard time showing anyone my hair, which is burdensome at times.
    Actually when I explained to a secular woman that I cover my hair out of intimacy rather than modesty, she really related to and appreciated that concept….

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