Tag: family

Dance

I courted my wife under false pretenses. At the time I met her, I was heavily involved – for the only time in my life – with a dance group in Cambridge Massachusetts. Mid ’70s, lots of young energy trying to change the world. I went to many events, helped with the light show and administration .

I enjoyed the times, but it was only for a few years. I’m not graceful and have no sense of rhythm. I can’t learn dance steps because I hate being told what to do. So after we were married _ no more dancing except once in a while at weddings and such .

Joan, on the other hand, is a natural. She starts to move unconsciously when she hears music. She loves to get out and sway. She has many fond memories of all the early times she spent in high school, college, and beyond with groups of friends at parties and bars .

Partly, I write this to know that people often turn out to be different than we expect. But the core takeaway may be that dance even for that short time was good for me. I ended a better person for the experience. I wish Donald and Elon would do more of it. 

Dance puts a different perspective on things. Less intellectual, more physical, less meditative, more immersed .

Oh well, at least I got well rewarded.

“Good Things”

My wife is always suggesting that we should “partake of the good things in life.” The implication, of course, is that we do not do so often enough, and also that we may be unable to do so in the future. It’s not really unexpected because we do lead a fairly comfortable, sedentary existence. 

I find “partake” a fairly cute little word. It conjures images of aristocratic ballrooms or excursions in exotic lands. I never think of folks as “partaking” of a pizza or hamburger. In fact, I rarely hear the word in everyday conversation .

The problem – at least the first problem – is the exact definition of “good things”. I like a walk in the park. She likes shopping. But I guess one cannot “partake” of such commonplace pleasures. No, usually she means something we rarely if ever do. And likely will not. It can generate an intimation that we are somehow being left out of all the fine things everyone else is doing .

A larger problem is that I cannot think of many things that I would rather do than a nice stroll in nature. I am perhaps too much a creature of habit, but that is because over the years I have trained my habits to correspond to my pleasures. Most of the other stuff is, actually, pretty boring .

But what two people want differs. If we ever get around to “partaking” of something she wants, I’m sure I’ll survive .