Zumba Birds

“Do a loony-goony dance
‘Cross the kitchen floor,
Put something silly in the world
That ain’t been there before.”
― Shel Silverstein, A Light in the Attic

Sometimes I find it so freeing to just do something silly. There is enough sadness and tension in the world that I just need to escape from it and think about something else for a bit.

Recently, I started attending Zumba classes at a local gym, and I love it! A big thank you to Nita and Bev for pushing me into this scary space. Here, time is suspended, and my total attention is on what is right in front of me. Well, that and attempting to not run into anyone as I dance. I’m improving a bit and learning some of the dance moves, often even in synch with others. The main instructor, Teresa, is the best at creating a safe, fun, non-threatening environment. She encourages us to work at our own pace and not to compare ourselves to others. Also, she encourages us to be patient with ourselves as we learn, to always keep moving, and, mostly, to just have fun. She tells us that there are no mistakes in Zumba, just solo performances.

One of the classes last week inspired this wonky painting. My mind was wandering a bit, but I was so happy because I was keeping up and moving to the music. These colorful birds popped into my head and danced through the rest of the class with me. They were as amazed as I was to note that this group of people represented such a diverse mix that included many decades, ethnic backgrounds, and probably religions. This seemed to correlate with the Zumba music which spanned everything from country to rap. I never seem to know what the next dance might demand. As I said, I love Zumba, and so do these whimsical birds who know the value of just putting something silly into the world.