Bullying is for all ages!

I was bullied last night, and I'm still cranky about it. I'm 30 years old, for crying out loud. I should be able to assert myself in situations when I feel like I am being picked on unnecessarily. But I felt out of my element, and basically just allowed this woman and another to verbally and physically push me around. I was picked on a lot in middle school, to the point where I wanted the world to just end. But I'm not that scared little girl anymore. And now, I'm just mad.

As most of you know, I've been going to a boot camp for the last 5 weeks, and it has been great. I'm being challenged physically, and I've lost 6 inches from my waist, which is fantastic. I felt so great about it that I decided to sign up for another month. This week has been hard, as I'm still having issues breathing and typically have to puff on my inhaler a few times, and recently started having intense pain in my shins. Shin splints. Yay. So, I wasn't feeling so great when I walked in yesterday and found out we were doing a team workout.

After a rowing warm up and a series of calisthenic exercises to warm us up, we were split into groups based on numbers. I was the first of the 5's, so held my hand up. 4 other ladies joined me, as well as bully and her daughter, who was maybe 13 years old. As everyone walked up, I jokingly said, "We should call our team Ovary-actors." Bully looked at me with a peeved expression and, disdain dripping from her words, said, "Why?" "It was just a joke, "I stammered, shocked that someone who I had just met was giving me such an awful attitude. "Well, we're all bitches so I say we should be the Sick Ass Bitches, " she grunted, punching one hand into another. I looked at the 13 year old, shocked that she would be using this kind of language in front of a kid. Noticing my glance, she snarled, "That's my daughter. She's heard worse."

Now keep in mind that this is a TEAM workout. Where we're supposed to be working TOGETHER. Now all of the girls on the team are looking at me like I'm a major schmuck bag, and I feel butterflies fluttering in my stomach. Granted, they may be looking at me like a schmuck bag due to the fact that I'm wearing a t-shirt that has two penguins looking at each other, a heart between them with the saying, "Melt hearts, Not Ice Caps," on it. But I digress.

The first activity our team is required to do in three minutes is to throw 12 pound medicine balls against the wall, step aside and have the person behind us catch the ball, squat, and then throw. And on and on down the line. I was 4th out of four in one of our lines. The girl in front of me had no aim, and no height, so I was hanging back to see where the ball was going to go. It went wildly to the left on one toss, and I ended up dropping it on the ground, forcing our team to have to do 3 burpees (where you drop to the floor in a plank position, then bring your feet to your hands, then jump in the air.) My bad. Another girl on my side told me I needed to scoot up, then proceeded to PUSH me towards the wall. Uh uh. No, she didn't.

My rage continued through the next several exercises. I didn't say anything, as we were supposed to be there to workout, sweat and work hard. I did my best, and that's all I can say. But that Sick Ass Bitch better watch out, cause the next time I may not be held back by asthma, shin splints, and nausea. No, I won't resort to violence. I won't name call, and I won't return her poor behavior with mine. But, I can aim my overexertion inspired vomit towards a certain persons shoes. And I had salad for lunch.