I have always loved to dance. As a child I dreamed of being a ballerina but it was not possible because I had rheumatic fever. My heart was misplaced in my chest cavity or maybe enlarged. I don't remember. I just knew that I required a lot of rest and many trips to the hospital and that I couldn't play very actively. Sometimes I required several months of bedrest and was entertained by my books, especially Robert Louis Stevenson. "When I was sick and lay-a-bed..." and my favorite, "The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings." Then when I was about 12 sulfa was discovered and a miracle of recovery occurred. My heart returned to its normal size and its normal place in my chest. I was cautioned against overexerting myself and told "to take it easy."
It was too late to begin training as a ballerina but I still loved to dance. My Daddy taught me the two-step and I know that I never had lessons but by the time I was in college I was a very good ballroom dancer and chose my dates accordingly. In my third year of college I even managed to get hired at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio. I also dated a boy who had studied dancing for several years and was a wonderful dancer. In my fouth year of college I said good-bye to my fledgling career and married a young lieutenant. Then followed 25 years of dancing at parties and fortunately military officers were wonderful about dancing with several women. I met several men who were great partners.
I attended the ballet whenever possible and have loved the music written for the ballet. Swan Lake being my all time favorite. I have several times taken ballet classes for adults as a means to exercise.
I even learned to ski when I was dancing with a ski instructor who pointed out to me that skiing was a lot like dancing and I should be very good at it. His casual remark instilled in me the confidence that I needed and I did become a good skier.
And then, 32 years ago my marriage came to an end. And I stopped dancing. Not deliberately, but I was distracted by other things.
Now it occurs to me that I gave up the one abiding love of my life.
Throughout our life we make choices, not always realizing what those choices will result in. This morning I wonder how many things in my life have I given up? Is it too late to reclaim some of them?
