International Dance

This is supposed to be a day of coming together and watching a dance performance, with social distancing that is not possible so I thought I would look at it from a different point of view. I want to be able to dance like no one is watching but alas one stupid memory from my childhood keeps getting in the way. Fever dreams are not nice things especially at six years old, they stick with you your whole life. I guess I want to share it since I keep talking about it. It is possible you have heard this story before. I will do it in two parts first the fever dream and then the original memory.

I had watched my first ever ballet on TV the night before, I think it was "Swan Lake". I was a bright and energetic six year old though I was well on my way to being a loner at that time. This was the incident that finished the job. So, it was late June and it was a bright day. I decided I wanted to dance as I had seen the ballet dancers do it and I began to dance with the shadows. I became so deep in concentration that I didn't hear the recess bell when I finished my dance and did a little bow I became aware that the whole school had been watching me.

In the fever dream the laughter is derisive and the clapping the slow mock clap you give when you are making fun of others. The words were sarcastic and mean.

In real life they were clapping for me and laughing with joy. Every word was one of the positive ones.

Shortly after that I came down with measles and spent a week lost in my head and the dream became a nightmare. I don't remember the words only the smiles & laughter, the fact that they had enjoyed it was lost to the fever.

It took me a long time to see it for what it is was. To this day I am unable to let myself dance without paranoia about what others will say if they see me even in the privacy of my own home. I borrowed a book from Kindle Unlimited called Dance with this Book hoping it would get me dancing again. This is like the twentieth time I have tried to overcome this particular roadblock and I will continue because I love dancing. When I forget and let the music take me I am in heaven but sooner or later the paranoia comes back and I stop again sometimes for years.

Check out the book and Youtube to help you get your body moving and dance like no one is watching.

DANCE WITH THIS BOOK: Start a Revolution with Your Body, Alone in Your Room. by [Jess Grippo]

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National Make a Friend Day

I am not very good at making friends or keeping them it seems. I do not go outside much, in fact I hardly leave my home unless it is family related. That makes it hard especially since friends expect you to come to them at least once in a while and I find I can't.

If it were simply a matter of laziness it would be understandable but it isn't. Some days I can't even open the door to let in some fresh air. I do not know where the fear comes from I just know that that is what I feel when I think about going outside most of the time.

Agoraphobia: Triggers for this anxiety may include wide-open spaces, crowds (social anxiety), or traveling (even short distances). Agoraphobia is often, but not always, compounded by a fear of social embarrassment, as the agoraphobic fears the onset of a panic attack and appearing distraught in public.
Causes: Genetic and environmental factors Symptoms: Anxiety in situations perceived to be unsafe, panic attacks Treatment: Cognitive behavioral ther…

Hello March

May the sun be with us! Except with the quiet coming of March be on the lookout for at least one more big storm before the end of the month. I love the sun but I always hope March comes in like a lion so that it will go out like a lamb. I can deal with cold and snow early in the month but I always wish for the beauty of sun and green buds on the trees at the end of it.

So where did the phrase 'In like a lamb, out like a lion' come from?

There are several ideas:

While many sayings are base on observation and are accurate, others are the rhymes and beliefs of those who came before us.
Those folks actually believed that bad spirits could change the weather adversely, so they were cautious as to what they did or didn't do in certain situations. Those beliefs also included ideas that there could be a balance in weather and in life. So if the weather came in bad, (like a lion) it could go out good and calm. (like a lamb)
Since March is such a changeable month in which we can see…

Women's Heart Health

February 1st - 7th is Women's Heart Health Awareness Week and I felt it would be remiss of me not to include some conversation about it here given that the professor suffered a heart attack a bit over two years ago and that I am a prime candidate.

Let us start with why I am a prime candidate - Obviously being 100 pounds overweight puts me in the high-risk area immediately. Add in High Chloresterol, physical inactivity, diabetes, post-menopausal and over 55. Since only two of those are needed to put me in the at-risk category that I have six means that I am very high risk. The only way it could be worse is if I still smoked or drank and still lived a high-stress life. Thank goodness for small miracles.

Not sure where you stand? check out this checklist. This checklist and the other pdf's linked here are from the Women's Heart Foundation

Do you know what the prescription is to lower the risk factors? It's simple join the 10,000 steps a day club. That's it! walk 10 th…

Cook, Make, Think

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