What Would Vera Ellen Do?

Last Friday, Jackie and I went to the Swing City dance. I've been going off and on since late spring, and this was my latest trip.

Any girl - sorry, "follower" - danged PC terms have even invaded swing dancing - can tell you that the key to a great dance is a great partner. So when the guy who taught the pre-dance lesson asked me, I jumped at the chance.

This man, Tony Tye of the "Hop to the Beat" studio, is a fantastic dancer and a great leader. And he really likes to MOVE. Before I knew it I was being tossed back and forth as he launched me into one new step after another. Before long I got to the point that I live for when I go dancing - my brain turned off and my feet led the way.

And the best part was, we had started to remind me quite a bit of Vera Ellen and Danny Kaye in "White Christmas" - "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing." I used to watch this movie as a teenager and dream myself into Vera's pale pink gown and the the easy grace of the perfectly choreographed dance. I was hardly perfect on Friday, of course, but I didn't care. It was close enough.

It was lovely.

I had plans to get stuff done this afternoon.

Actually, I did get stuff done. I baked chocolate chip cookies, then sat down to learn a new song. Then I looked at my computer - Alvin, from CMN, had sent me the pictures from the conference!!

There went productivity. There were literally hundreds of pictures, and I looked at them all. There were even half a dozen short video clips, and I watched those too. Why? Because as hard as I tried to convince myself otherwise, CMN is much more than a professional conference.

First of all, you try putting yourself in the midst of 90 of the most loving, supportive people on the planet and see if you don't find yourself softening because of it. Then try getting those doctor-recommended "Eight Hugs a Day" (as mentioned in the song) and seeing if gosh darn it, you don't feel just plain lighter for it.

Yeah. I'm a functional adult. And I work very hard at it, thank you very much. But 3 days of these folks is more than enough to break through that... which is why I keep going back. It's a risk, and re-adjusting to the world can be a challenge. But it's worth it.