I’m singing with the Ramone’s:
Do you wanna dance and hold my hand? Tell me baby I’m your lover man Oh baby, do you wanna dance?
Well do you wanna dance under the moonlight? Squeeze and kiss me all through the night
Oh baby, do you wanna dance?Do you do you do you do you wanna dance Do you do you do you do you wanna dance?
Do you do you do you do you, do you wanna danceWell do you wanna dance under the moonlight? Squeeze me baby all through the night
Oh baby, do you wanna dance?Do you do you do you do you wanna dance Do you do you do you do you wanna dance?
Do you do you do you do you wanna dance
A dozen years ago, I was dancing three or more nights a week — Latin, ballroom, in studios, in nightclubs — and keeping my cholesterol down and stamina up.
Now I have an “assist rail” on the side on my bed because I tend to roll off at night while tossing and turning trying to get comfortable despite sciatica.
I miss dancing, so I did a little google search for ballroom dancing in my area. And I found a couple of places about a 20 minute drive away. I miss dancing, but I don’t miss the “competition” for dance partners. And I’m realy out of shape in terms of stamina. My knees aren’t what they used to be either.
So I’m asking myself, do I really, really wanna dance or would I rather do some other kind of exercise that doesn’t require driving at night and being reminded that I’m not the person I was a dozen years ago.
I think I wanna dance, but what I really want is to have the life I had all those years ago. And that’s not going to happen.
What I need is to keep taking the gentle yoga class once a week and try ramping up to some kind of low-impact aerobics. What I need is to keep finding ways to meet new people, find some new friends.
What I want is to be the person I was 15 years ago who could do a jive performance and not limp away after.
But it ain’t gonna happen.
You clearly say what you know you need to do and it makes a lot of sense. We all want to do the things we used to do and no longer can. Being reasonable nd accepting our limitations is a lot easier said than done. Finally we hve little choicc in the matter. For my part, I’ve always wished I could dance much more than I ever had the opportunity to do. Those dancing memories must be really delicious. It doesn’t help how you feel but I admit I envy you.
What a gem!! So much of what you wrote is how I feel!!
Especially when you wrote “I need to find ways to meet new people and find new friends.”
That’s a hard thing to do, especially at “85-86.”
When I’m in Florida in the winter, it could happen but when I’m up North it’s tough, haven’t found a way to do that yet. Friends and acquaintances are relocating or passing away.
That’s life.