Switching Gears....Happily....Again!

Happiest with my pups!



I have never walked to the same beat as others.  In fact when I was ballroom dancing regularly, my teacher said to me that I heard extra beats in the music.  It upset me at first because sometimes it would mess up my training...but then I just accepted that it was part of who I am.  The beats were not something that did not exist, they just were not necessary to dance and could complicate the learning process.  I had to learn to expel the extra beats and get out of my own way, while keeping true to me....and my vision of the dance.

In ballroom dancing there is a certain way to use your arms.  At first it was challenging because I came from a ballet background.  Having learned belly dancing in the Middle East, I put my own exotic twist to my hand movements.  My teacher came from a classical Russian background and liked a different style.  I tried very hard to follow his instructions but in the end, I just didn't use my arms at all because none of it felt right until I began dancing .....just for fun.  The new instructor asked me why I did not use my arms; I told him the reason and he began re-training me without the pressure of a competition or performance.  And amazingly, the arms had a life of their own and it was my vision of what my arms should be.....it felt  so good when I did it my way but with the guidance of a pro.

This applies to writing.  A learned person in the industry once said to me..."You have to keep your vision and don't let everyone's opinions change it." I listened...that is what I am doing.  There is a book in me that has been knawing at my psyche for years.  I am doing it now.  It feels right and good and makes my heart sing.