The second ballet class.....I went!

So, one quick side note - even though I worked hard at the first class, and the class lasts one and a hlaf hours, I was not very sore the next day!

At 7:00 Thursday morning, I opened my eyes in a somewhat suspicious way, squinted at the clock, and said to myself, "You are going to class."  I got up, chugged a coffee, and threw on my other new leotard and pair of tights, a white skirt, and got ready to go.  I did not even allow myself to think about whether or not I would go!

Made it to class and decided to jump in with both feet - I pulled off the skirt and went up to the barre, deciding in that moment that one of the ways to make this transformation and reconnection easier and more fluid is to just be at peace with where I am today and see how far I can go tomorrow.  Funny, no one laughed or pointed or looked at me twice.

We commenced with stretching at the barre, and the teacher came over and gave me a few extra pointers on foot placement and how to get the most out of the stretches we were doing.  It was such a welcoming touch....I felt like he was speaking to me as if he already knew me.

After an hour of barre routines, we had a free stretch time.  I was looking around the room while stretching, and it dawned on me that nearly all of my close friends right now were all from work, or parents of my kid's friends.  Now, I am not criticizing my current friends - they are fantastic!  However, i realized that might be one of the reasons that I was feeling a bit stifled, a bit like a hamster on a wheel.  It felt good to know that I was branching out and meeting people that were in an entire different circle of life.

It was interesting to note that today, there was a young man in the class.  He appeared to be in his early 20's, and was giving it his all.  When we were moving the barres to the side to get ready for the floor part of the class, the teacher introduced me to him, and let me know that he had NEVER danced ballet until a year ago!  He was doing so well, I would never have guessed it.

After class, there was a happy chatter as we gathered or items and changed out of our shoes.  One of the ladies sells dance skirts as a side business, and there were several ladies around a table oohing and ahhing and holding little skirts up to their little waists and picking colors and laces.  Patty, the skirt seller, waved me over, and asked if I wanted a skirt.  Such a little thing, but I am convinced it is one of the reasons I left with a big smile on my face.  

I am using a part of my brain that has been ignored, parts of my body that have been dormant, and talking to people that do not need or want anything from me relating to work!

The young man was heading for the door and I skipped to catch up with him.  While we walked to the garage together, I asked him what had made him start ballet last year.  He told me that he is a dance major at a local college, and he had to take it for his degree.  However, he has enjoyed it so much, he plans to continue.

So do I.  :-)