Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Happy Feet

When we moved to Florida we told ourselves with our 'one and only life' we're going to 'live in the moment' and enjoy it. 

Eckhart Tolle says, if you don't create new experiences or conversations, you'll constantly talk about the past (people or situations).  Our conditioned brain defaults back to old thinking patterns and stories unless we make new observations in the present. Sometimes, all we have in common are those old stories with friends, family, or partners. Do you ever feel stagnant or dull in your spirit? Do you project that on to others? We can easily stay stuck in the past--always trying to recreate the 'good times.' 

There is a whole inner and outer world out there to engage and explore. So, let's SALSA! Eat it or Dance it or both! 



We started taking salsa dance lessons. (Honest, it wasn't my idea; but I think I've dropped enough hints over 30 years, that it telepathically dropped into Rich's subconscious. Although, NOT as dramatic as Ben Stiller's salsa dance moves in Along Came Polly.) 



Rich got us Beginners Salsa Dancing lessons at Simone Salsa in Tampa; a real professional teacher at a real professional dance studio. I was completely impressed. This will force us to get out of our comfort zone and be completely in the present moment! 

Simone is a wonderful teacher. Rich is a drummer with absolutely no sense of dancing rhythm (hard to believe, but it's true.) I've never danced Salsa, so I'm excited to learn from her. We go once a week; but you can go as many times as you like during the week to practice; they just want you to practice and have fun. And on Friday nights, they have open salsa dance night (that's like an extra built-in date night). There will probably be salsa and chips before or afterwards. 

What I like about dancing, besides looking into my hunky husband's eyes, is that it forces us to get into our bodies. We'll both have to notice those judgy thoughts of insecurity and incompetence for a while. Practice. Practice. Practice. I'll be forced to let Rich lead;  he'll be forced to let go and finally shake his hips. But we'll be making new memories and new neural pathways. It will be fun to learn together in the moment. "Life is the Dancer and you are the Dance." Eckhart Tolle.