A Life Changing Moment

I  am not particularly coordinated.

Oh I never fall over my own feet or anything like that, although I did trip once and got a green stick fracture.

And then I slipped another time and broke an ankle.

Sometimes I run into things too – like the deep sea diver at Disney World, or that pole I walked into once, and a few cabinets and things.

And the family did get a bit concerned when I banged my head on the jungle gym trying to play chase with a grandchild.

Oh, and there was that time I tried to ride on a skate board and rolled over the edge of a semi-cliff!

But basically I think I am fairly stable.

I just never really learned to dance.

When I met my husband-to-be he loved dancing.  His girlfriend before me was an Arthur Murray dance instructor!

Anyway, he (Bill – my then boyfriend) was good at dancing.  He looked suave out there with other girls.  I would only very slow dance with him since I could just hang on and get drifted shoved around.  And if I happened to step on his foot, he didn’t seem to notice much.  We were young and in love, and passion was meant to override pain.

But I was determined to dance – the Cha Cha and the Waltz – you know – the ones on Dancing with the Stars!  Even now, I yearn to learn the Quick Step.  Maybe I could still be a professional dancer!

With the visions of grandeur of a 19 year old,  I dropped in on a local dance studio for secret lessons.  If Bill could learn from the experts, so could I!

 There were several couples on the dance floor looking very smooth.

I was welcomed by a handsome instructor, who said the way to begin was at the beginning with a TRIAL RUN!

And so, off we went onto the dance floor where I gave the Trial Run my best stumble-and-grin try.

I hoped Dan the Dance Man didn’t notice my sweaty palms, the frown lines, or the fact that I was listing left when he was guiding right.

Music?

What music?

I didn’t even hear the music over the roaring in my head,

“Step.  Step.  Step-Step!

Step.  Step.  Step-Step!”

And finally, after what seemed like hours, we stopped stepping.

My feet hurt and my arms were shaking like that time I did the weed eating and couldn’t hold a coffee cup afterward.

“When do lessons begin?” I asked. 

I figured I had already suffered the initial plunge. 

And Dan the Dance Man answered,

“Uh.  I would not advise you to take this course Miss. 

You have no balance and no rhythm.” 

 I am not kidding. 

That is exactly what he said.

Thus began my lifetime of insecurity wherever I encountered a dance floor.  And thus began a somewhat destroyed self image due to one life changing moment.

There is a happy ending though.

Oddly enough my husband-to-be, actually did marry me many (many many) years ago and we are still blissfully wed even though I have no rhythm and no balance.

I continue to trip over Bill’s feet on the dance floor too, and I never lost the ability to list left when being guided right.

So much for life changing moments huh?

But I would still love to learn the Quick Step!

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