I Just Dance

While people are talking about election results, football games and celebrities, I’m just thinking about dancing. Does that make me weird?

This is a question that I’ve found myself asking a lot lately because I just don’t seem to have the same level of interest in topics that the masses have. I could very easily spend my day reading, writing and dancing.

I’ve always been interested in dance (and pretty good at it), but my childhood activities incorporated more sports than arts. So, I grew up competing in gymnastics, soccer and track & field. It wasn’t until after college that I decide to take an adult ballet class.

I love dancing when I go out. I love dancing in front of a mirror. And I love dancing in jazz class. I find movement with flow and grace so incredibly fascinating, and I can’t seem to get enough.

Since I was 13, I’ve had a pretty well-defined track & field physique. Big quads and hamstrings. Chiseled arms. And a flat stomach. I loved my body, so I would force myself to go to the gym and lift weights to maintain my shape after college. But eventually I grew weary of the routine and canceled my membership. But some part of me felt guilty about not working out the way I used to in school because all of my old teammates continued hitting the gym hard to preserve their toned bodies. Me, I just danced.

Eventually, I got over it. And now, I dance for exercise. I dance when I feel good. I dance when I feel bad. I just dance. I’ve found that my legs are a little smaller (and so is my booty), but I still have a physique that I’m proud of.

But this post really isn’t about dancing. It’s about ignoring, to some degree, what the masses are doing and saying to follow your passions and explore your interests. It’s about releasing the compulsion to follow interests of the majority in order to get in on the watercooler conversation the next morning. (Take your own water to work). It’s about letting go of old habits and routines to make room for new ones. It’s about freeing your goddess.