Punkin was playing with a couple new toys at Grandma's; a little car and a little inflatible doll-sized chair. The adults were having fun stashing all the accessories in the trunk of the car when Billy suggested "Take the air out of the chair and put it in the trunk." (Um... put the air in the trunk??)

I've never shared this with you all before, and only last Fall began effectively communicating this to Hubby. One of my passions...

There's a picture of me at three years old (I think) dressed in a light blue leotard and tights with little black ballet shoes on. I've carried this image in my head for so long. I don't know why, it's just there. I looked for the original picture, but I believe my Mom has it.

I took ballet classes sporadically in my childhood. Then in high school, Dance was offered as an alternative to Gym class. Being that the word "athletic" has never been used to describe me, I leapt at the chance.

During my high school career, I also took classes in ballet, tap, jazz, and pointe. I loved it. Jazz was my favorite. As I got older, I realized I would not be making dancing my life's work, and during my junior year in high school, I stopped taking dance classes outside of what was offered at school.

"Fame" came out around that time and I was hooked on it. I wore leg warmers every chance I got. (They were all the fashion then, you know. What? Stop laughing!)

I took a jazz class again a few years later, and had a lot of fun. Again, though my priorities changed and I stopped taking dance classes once again.

Flash forward a few years (like 10 or so) and line dancing started becoming popular. Boy howdy, I loved it. Put me in some cowboy boots (which I've always liked, anyway) in a room full of other dancers and some music and I'm in heaven. Even if I wasn't able to pick up the dance steps, I just loved watching. I felt free and terribly happy, like I could accomplish anything.

"River Dance" came on the scene and I was transfixed. All those people doing all those fast steps, and it looking as though their feet aren't even moving. My eyes became glued to the dancers' feet. "How do they do that?" The question plays like a loop in my brain. (Lucky Doug. He saw River Dance in person!)

I've been line dancing a time or two with my friend, Erika (and once with Hubby!) in recent years. There is also the occasional dancing with Hubby at weddings and around the holidays, too. Most of the dancing I do these days, though is in the kitchen or livingroom with a laughing Punkin more than half my height. The choreography is done on the fly to whatever music happens to be on.

I've watched her watch the dancers on some TV shows. (Not American Bandstand or Soul Train, but at the beginning of award shows, or some choreographed boy/girl bands that are popular lately, you know?)

She stops what she's doing and focuses all of her attention on the TV. (Now I know what I look like when I do that) She even told me once, nearly a year ago now, that someday "I'm going to go to that place and dance like that and have one of those things (headphones) on and do this (pantomiming some of the hand movements)."

I'm not so secretly pleased that she enjoys dancing, and even does some of her own choreography.

Dancing is a passion of mine, there's no doubt about it. I hope I can share that with her someday.

current entry
previous
next