The older I get, the more I’ve refined what I think are necessary skills for enjoying life’s golden years. The short list is balance, endurance, memory and socialization.
Physically, I’m finding balance and endurance are key. Tripping over things like furniture, dogs and dog toys, my own feet and any sort of household hazards seems to be a daily occurrence. Having to stop to catch my breath, grab a drink of water, or wipe a brow seems to be the result of an often too sedentary existence also.
Mentally, anything that exercises my mind and encourages social interaction would be appreciated.
So, what have you got that makes me less fragile, keeps me agile, and helps me stay mobile?
Have you considered line dancing, Rob?
Line dancing? Belt buckle boasting and boot scooting to country music?
Well, skill builder, what if I told you that there are places that teach line dancing where you’re better off wearing something that doesn’t require a belt or boots, and no offense to your good friend and WTCM on air talent Carey Carlson, the music isn’t necessarily country?
I’d try it.
And I did try it.
Let me tell you, if you’re looking to work on any of the same things I think I need to work on, it turns out that line dancing is exactly what you’re looking for.
There’s nothing like being taught a 32-step dance in five minutes then putting it to work during a four-minute Teddy Swims tune to get your brain and feet working together and counting to eight as you coordinate between steps with names like “grapevine,” “rock step”, “sugarfoot,” “k-step,” and a few more. Taking correct steps while using correct feet means that you simply can’t be worrying or thinking about anything else in the world when you’re doing this.
Every dance we’ve done involves turning toward different walls of the room; sometimes two, sometimes four. This accomplishes a number of things. Mental, of course. Part of learning the step is learning this quarter or half turn system. Balance, too. Since keeping better balance is on my “to-do” list, this “rotation, rotation” gives my equilibrium a pretty good workout. And then there’s the social aspect. By that I mean that as this room full of line dancers make their way through these dance sequences, you are changing places throughout the dance floor. At one moment you may be at the back of the room matching your steps to those in front of you. Moments later, having made a turn or two, dancers are now able to see your steps, or missteps, depending upon how well you picked up the lesson.
Lucky for me, the class I take is taught by a wonderful woman named Kay at the Historic Elk Rapids Town Hall on Tuesday mornings and is a pretty nonjudgmental group. The importance of that lies in the other skill I’ve been trying to keep from losing which is my social skills. I’m finding that as I age, less and less do I get out and socialize. I’m not trying to become a hermit or trying to hide from a cruel world. Rather, I’m just evolving into a guy that is often satisfied either doing nothing or doing stuff alone. Being in this room of 20 to 30 people with their own enriching reasons for being there just makes good sense.
You’ve probably line danced before and if you’re looking to augment any of the skills that I worry about losing, you might consider trying it again. Remember, cowboy boots and big belt buckles are optional.