| At the age of 70 I retired. Happy days were ahead. I | | | | Mambo, Cha-Cha, Waltz, and I was in heaven. The |
| could do what I want, when I want and if I want to | | | | only problem, since I was sure I knew how to dance, |
| do nothing that's okay too. I watched daytime TV, | | | | was thinking this was going to be soooooo easy! It |
| did the crossword puzzles, read the newspapers, and | | | | turned out that I was the only newbie in the class |
| kept in touch with friends and family through email. I | | | | and I also realized there's no partner to lead me |
| played some games on the computer and checked | | | | around the floor. At first I thought I must have |
| out the internet. Of course, I ate a lot because the | | | | turned stupid in my old age, but then realized that line |
| food was there. When I did wander out, it was the | | | | dancing is mostly memory and my memory was not |
| mall or the supermarket where I could buy lots of | | | | too sharp anymore. I was going to stick with it! The |
| goodies to keep me happy. When you're retired, | | | | dances are a number of sets that are repeated |
| wandering aimlessly through the stores, spending | | | | during the dance and you have to be aware of the |
| money foolishly is not what you want to do. So what | | | | sequence, what steps come next. Fortunately, I did |
| do you do? I didn't want to be one of those old | | | | not take myself too seriously. Someone once said |
| people sitting around waiting to die. I could see | | | | "dance as if no one is looking" so that's exactly what |
| myself falling into a depression. Would you say I | | | | I did. I laughed a lot, persevered and promised myself |
| needed a new challenge in life! The day of awakening | | | | I would not give up. I finally did it! It all fell into place. |
| came with a phone call from a friend. "The Parks | | | | The moral of the story….. dance class is much |
| Department has a Community Center nearby; they | | | | less expensive than doctors and psychiatrists; it gives |
| have all kinds of classes; let's go check it out." Now, I | | | | you a natural high! I lost weight; I lost inches; I |
| thought, what could I possibly do there? What I did | | | | started to eat healthier when I saw the weight loss |
| find there was a low impact aerobics class that would | | | | and my memory has improved tremendously. I'm |
| help me take off the weight I had managed to put | | | | exercising my brain by learning something new with |
| on. I joined the class, had a good time and met some | | | | each dance. I learned so well, that at the age of 75, |
| really nice people. They were all discussing the line | | | | the Parks & Recreation Department offered me |
| dance class they had joined and what fun it was. | | | | a job teaching line dancing. My students always |
| When I was about 10 years old, my brother who | | | | compliment me on my youthful looks and demeanor; |
| was five years older than I, used to practice his | | | | something I don't mind hearing. I just read that |
| jitterbug on me and I grew up dancing during the | | | | Socrates learned to dance when he was seventy |
| wonderful era of the big bands. I didn't get to dance | | | | because he felt that an essential part of himself had |
| much later in life and forgot how much I enjoyed it, | | | | been neglected. Isn't it funny that with all the aches |
| With a bit of trepidation I joined the line dance class. | | | | and pains that come with age, I don't feel a bit of |
| It wasn't just country music anymore. They taught | | | | pain when I dance? It must be that 'natural high'. |