Never Too Late

If you could be anything, I mean anything, irrespective of your true talents and reality, and irrespective of the money involved, what would you do? What is your true passion?

Mine is dance. If I had to it all over again, I would've been a dancer. I never took formal dance as a child, and I had never even gone to shows or performances as a child, really, but I wish I had. My parents just weren't very cultural and really didn't proactively get us involved in anything. I grew up with a bunch of boys, so I did what they did: played in the mud, went dirt-bike riding, built treehouses. Dancing in a frilly tu-tu just wasn't something I even knew could be an option for me. If I had, who knows what could've been.

But growing up, I found other ways to express myself through this outlet. I grew up in the 80s: the breakdancing era. After watching the movie "Breakin'," I ran out and got a Breakin' Board. My brother and our friends used to have break-dancing contests. We'd perform the back spin, the head spin, the "tick", the "centipede," and freestyle. I have pictures of me dancing on that board, with my faux-leather pants, leather tie, and big hair. I couldn't have been happier. Sure, something more refined would've been nice, but I took what I could get.

My oldest daughter also loves dance. She's normally very shy, but if you put music on, that kid will put on one heck of a show for everyone and anyone. At age two, she would sit still for hours to watch dance performances, and then she'd re-enact them. So at age three, I signed her up for tap and ballet at a local studio, and she had her first recital this past spring. I could not have been more proud. When that child dances, she dances with our heart: it's a passion. You can see it from the expressive and dramatic look on her face to the tips of her toes. Of course I am thrilled that we share this interest, but I try to keep it in check. It's easy for parents to confuse what they want with what the child wants. I don't want to live out my missed opportunity through my daughter.

With that in mind, I decided it's never too late to start something you're passionate about, so my husband and I signed up for salsa classes beginning at the end of this month. I can't wait. I'm looking forward to not only dancing, but also getting to spend some quality time with my husband. He is actually a very good dancer, and he is pretty excited about it. That is, until he found out classes are at 5pm on Sundays, which will surely cut into Football season. The sacrifices that man makes for me never ceases to amaze me.