The Plank

Tiny Memoir #13

Mar 23, 2026

When she puts me in a plank position, I burst into tears. My large, unwieldy body hovers above the concrete floor, arms shaking, trying to keep myself aloft. She orders me to “squeeze!” and a guttural cry escapes from somewhere deep in my chest. I’ve been barely holding on to anything for years, and now this woman wants me to hold on a little longer when nothing would feel better than letting my legs crumple to the floor in defeat and scurrying back to the safety of my self-imposed isolation.

She calls out “five more seconds!” three more times before finally allowing me to release the pose. I stand up, back barking and legs jelly. She claps. My husband, who’s begrudgingly agreed to try out this whole personal trainer thing, claps too. They congratulate me.

“It’s okay to cry. It’s normal,” she says. “When we start moving our bodies in ways we haven’t in a long time, emotions hiding in our bones, muscles, and fat break off and come to the surface. But look! You pushed yourself. You faced your discomfort and found out you could do more than you thought.”

My pride and shame balance behind a stiff smile.

Amy Bee writes lots of stories about her life. Her work has been published in several really cool places. Amy is the co-creator of In a Nutshell Storytelling, Wildcard Story Swap, and Prompt: a podcast for people who love stories. Amy lives with and adores her author husband even though he’s a ska guy writing about . . . yup. Ska. They have a goofy dog who makes them laugh every day.

Submissions to Tiny Memoir are closed. We are currently reviewing submissions from November/December 2025 for publication in May-July 2026.