Start Dancing!

Last year I discovered 24 Hours of Happy and shared it with everybody I could think of who really needed to have a little Happy.

I still go back and visit it when I need a little bit of Happy from time to time.

I've been known to sing off-key at the top of my lungs hum along and dance around in my kitchen numerous times.

Sometimes it will be grooving to Happy or showing homage to Trace Adkin's disgraceful song.

MoTown music is always a hit with me as I think there is NO BETTER MUSIC MADE than that.

Right after we married, Mike and I shocked his son, Stephen, as we sang and danced along with Elton John on a classic number.  (I guess I bring out the best in folks, huh?)

I think it might be sort of a tradition in my family to dance around in the kitchen.

I remember Mama teaching me to do the twist with Chubby Checker or Elvis right there in our farmhouse kitchen when I was a skinny girl growing up.

Bridgette has been caught in the act and even had her moves posted online for the world to share.  We are dancing vacuumers as a family, too, I guess.  I know that her skinny girls dance along in the kitchen, too.  Continue the family tradition, girl!  She sent me a link the other day to a wonderful blog post that encourages dancing in the kitchen.  Looking at the vinyl floor the author was heating up with her moves took me back to the days when my own children were skinny munchkins growing up.  We would dance around in our kitchen on a floor exactly like that one and share so much joy.

Then, my journey down memory lane took me to high school dances I used to chaperon when I was sponsoring student government in my early educator years.  Some kid would always dare another to ask me to dance and of course I would oblige.  They would buzz about it in the hallways the next week and giggle behind their hands as we passed in the hall.

One of my colleagues shared a post about a young lad dancing out his Happy at the recent NCAA basketball warm-up music this past week and I just smiled and admired his moves.  He reminded me of my middle school teaching days.  We would have school dances for those adolescents and at first nobody would dance.  Then, I would coerce some kid into being my partner and we would get out there and shake a leg.  They were never surprised at my crazy dancing because I always told them how I loved to dance when we were in class.  At first they were a little skeptical and there was some eye rolling.  Then, they might hear music playing in my classroom during my planning time.  I always claim my favorite music is LOUD.  Next, they might notice me swaying or barely containing a little jig while music was playing and they were taking a benchmark assessment or exam.  So, when I broke out and busted a move or two at a basketball game during warm-ups or half-time, they simply rolled their eyes and giggled.

Mike and I often will turn up our old-school stereo and put in CDs or just let the radio blare out and do a little dancing right in our den or kitchen.  It makes us laugh and gives us a good excuse to hold one another close and sway around, if nothing else.  (We call it belly-rubbing-music.)  But, just the other night Mike and I were crashed in the den watching TV when a healthcare commercial came on.  It featured a couple who are built a little bit like us and they were recreating the Dirty Dancing lift and had a bit of a mishap.  In unison, Mike and I looked at one another and said, "That could be us!"

I don't know why we don't just set aside a time to simply do some silly dancing at times.  It brings out the Happy in most everybody somehow.  Life is too short not to enjoy it.  So, come on, do it.  Dance like nobody is watching and just look at how your soul is lifted and so are your spirits!

I'm turning on a little Uptown Funk and cranking up the volume right this minute.  After that will come a little Aretha, wanna join me?