My Secret Passion
There are many paths my life could have taken. If I didn’t go into the field of preK-12 education, I might have been a gay rights lawyer. Or a dancer.
Yes, I have a not-so-secret passion for dancing. In fact, I was a cheerleader for eight years of my life (all the way through varsity) just because I loved the dancing part. I couldn’t stomach the rest of it, so I quit and joined the swim team in 11th grade.
But dancing! I love it. And I’ve been thinking about ways to reconnect with it.
The other day, I remembered that many years ago, I used to daydream about having a “dance studio” in my home–an entire room dedicated to dance. Our current house already feels packed to the gills, so I thought about how I could possibly make this happen for myself.
And then the idea hit me. What if I replaced our closet doors with glass doors? Instant dance studio! There’s just enough room between our closet and our bed to dance a little.
And so my birthday gift to myself this year will be my glass door dance studio and four weeks of classes at Ballet Austin. I’m going to learn the choreography to a terrible song (but it’s an awesome dance!). I’m super-excited about. Specifically, I’m excited to get some movement back into my body. I really am starting to feel stiffer and stiffer as the years pass by.
Luckily the dance class isn’t until April, so there’s still time to save up for the glass doors. We only allocate a certain amount to spend on our house each month. Last month it was Matt’s desk from IKEA. This month it’s a jungle gym for Tate and Henry in the backyard. Next month might be these sculptures from Etsy. And April can be the glass doors?!?
3 Comments
Meghan
That sounds fun, but do you mean mirror doors rather than glass doors? I don't understand how glass doors would help you with dance.
If you decide to continue with dance lessons, community colleges often have dance classes that you can take for a semester for very little money.
KRISTIN
I"m struggling with this myself. I would love to take a dance class or fitness class. But, like you, I'm a working mom. I'm a college professor with aims of move towards department chair very soon. I already don't get enough time with my children (ages 2.5 and 1). How can I justify engaging in one more activity outside of my children's lives? I'd love to know your thoughts.
Sara E. Cotner
Hi, Kristin! Luckily, my children go to bed early, so I try to leave the house after they are asleep.
But I also think it's okay to take time for yourself! Taking care of YOU is taking care of your children!