Friends, you are so welcome here today in my little corner of the internet. I’m sending you something to deliberately lift your spirits.
A break, a laugh. Are you ready?
Those are not my legs, above.
They are the svelte legs of my new teacher of LINE DANCING.
No, I don’t like country music. Yes, I love to have fun. So at Christmas I decided it would be a brilliant idea to gift my husband a voucher for a Line Dancing class for us. Ha!
A friend challenged me to try something new, and a dance class was the quickest thing I could think of. Plus, unlike a regular dance class—Rock’N’Roll, Swing, Ballroom—you don’t have to spend the entire hour swapping around the room and holding on to other sweaty strangers.
You’re on your own, baby. (Even when you go with a partner.)
So many upbeat people are there…women of all ages! A few brave men.
The music (at least in my little class) is only about 25% country, so that’s really good news for me.
And it is FUN.
Honestly, if my brain had a tongue it would be sticking out through most classes. Our brains! Our brains are flabby, folks. Learning something new is the best thing for us amidst all the heaviness of the world.
Last night was our first “dance party” in a local hall. I’m not sure what you call them. Anyway, I thought it was a great idea to dress up because, in my way of thinking, it shows respect to the person who organised the event. I put on a favourite maxi dress and walked out of the bedroom. It’s big and blue and taffeta (weirdly), and my husband says I sound like I’m wearing a rain jacket. But I love this dress.
Our cool seventeen year old who somehow has the hair of a NYC rapper stopped IN HIS TRACKS. “Mum!” he said, “you look pretty. Love the dress.” Then he taught me his “skateboarding bro handshake” I guess to show me how much he appreciated my style. It was a parenting win, my friends.
But then I went to the study to say goodbye to our Law-Business uni student.
“ARE YOU WEARING A TENT?” he said.
Lawyers, right?
But on we went to our Line Dancing party. All we knew were four dances, and the women there were fabulous. So skilled, so upbeat. I was mesmerised watching them.
My point is this: sometimes we need to learn something new. Our spirits sing out for this. For change. For joy.
Can you take lessons in something you love?
If access or finances are tricky, remember YouTube: you can learn anything for free. How to knit or juggle, how to make croissants or line dance. How to do ballet as a beginner. Play piano or ukulele. Anything. It’s all there for free.
Enjoy your weekend, my friends. Take a little time to think about what new thing you’d love to do.
Love, Catherine x
PS.
Yes, this is Line Dancing at its world-class best. Remember the 80s movie Footloose? I’d LOVE to learn this dance.
We all know the world is suffering right now, and for me, my action is better than my sadness. Some ideas: it’s simple to book an AirBnB to send cash directly to people in the Ukraine. Here’s a list of other ways to help vetted by The Guardian.
If you decide to learn something new, let me know! I’m here on Instagram. You can listen to kookaburras laughing…have you ever heard them? Joy!
Thank you, beautiful Polly, for the Learn Something New challenge. I’m offering it to you, lovely people.