This is so inspiring! I am glad you treated yourself to a joyful experience. After reading this, I went out to dance to some live local music, which I haven’t done for a long time because of previous back pain. Dancing is fantastic exercise!
Truly eyes brimming with tears. I wanted to learn ballet in my youth. If you message me your email address, I will send you an essay I wrote about that particular longing. So so so very happy for you.
Deborah - Oh how I love the spirit of what you have just written about. I mean if this isn't what life can continue to be about I don't know what else it should be! To give voice to, embody, what is deep in our hearts and within our soul can be so healing and enlivening. And no matter what age we are right.
And on your birthday no less! I mean I can't think of a better birthday present. You frame a picture of you and hang it!
And you give yourself, that book, your therapist, Michelle Dowd, and whoever else is in your corner in this regard a huge hug!
We fell in love with your essay! 💗 Many women get handed a deadline early. You walked back in and proved the deadline was fiction. The little girl in the basement finally became a dancer. Very inspiring! Happy belated birthday! Welcome to the barre!
I'm so proud of you. I can't imagine the amount of inner battles you would have fought to dance on that stage.
Learning new skill you love requires a ton of effort and age doesn't make it any easier. This reminded me of the time when I went "crazy" and decided to pick up the violin at 23. I had just been out of the psych ward and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do whatever I had set my mind too. I'm glad I followed through.
But I'll admit that I haven't been consistent since then, and that's my only regret. I'm picking it back up even if it means I can only play a simple G Major scale everyday.
First happy birthday. Second I love ballet too . My mother enrolled me in classes because I was a big ungainly kid. Even decades later I can do a few of the exercises in a pool.
What came out of the classes was a live if the fluidity of dance. I read books that have ballet as a focus....I wished I could afford the ballet Barbie...I used to have posters and still at 70 save ballet pictures online.
Never would be a shining star dancer but it taught me to shine where I could
It's so beautiful, isn't it? I'll never be a prima ballerina but at this age I can just enjoy being part of something lovely. 😊 How wonderful that it brought some joy to your life.
Oh my, you have me in tears Deborah. Rusty ones at that. Your story is my story too, and giving our tiny dancers the freedom to move about our lives is a wondrous thing to witness. At 70, I still do a daily barre even if it’s just 5 minutes, and I think about my best friend of 58 years who was a professional dancer and who spent the entirety of our friendship trying to teach me a decent pirouette. She died a bit ago and this is really one of the ways I still maintain our connection….at the barre.
For another lovely story about late life ballet dreams, see Rona Maynard’s Substack, Amazement Seeker, for her story about fulfilling a long held ballet fantasy that my bestie was able to provide for her. I can’t seem to attach it here properly but it is a worthwhile read along the lines of your story here.
I LOVE this post. I know I got to wish you a happy birthday on our Zoom, but once again happy belated birthday. What an amazing thing you did for yourself, this was completely joyful to read about. The joy was there for all sorts of reasons, but as a fellow 48 year-old, I love that you are honor, honoring your old dreams.
This is so inspiring! I am glad you treated yourself to a joyful experience. After reading this, I went out to dance to some live local music, which I haven’t done for a long time because of previous back pain. Dancing is fantastic exercise!
I'm so glad you were inspired to do that! 💃
Truly eyes brimming with tears. I wanted to learn ballet in my youth. If you message me your email address, I will send you an essay I wrote about that particular longing. So so so very happy for you.
Thank you Mimi! Seems we're kindred spirits!
Happy Birthday 'My inner child is dancing' 🎂 You've hit the meaning of life right there - thanks for sharing this inspiring story
Aw, thank you, Jen! 😊
Happy belated birthday Deborah!
Thank you, Jess!
Happy belated birthday Deborah. It's wonderful that you decided to reignite a prior interest and followed through on it. Nothing silly about that!
Deborah - Oh how I love the spirit of what you have just written about. I mean if this isn't what life can continue to be about I don't know what else it should be! To give voice to, embody, what is deep in our hearts and within our soul can be so healing and enlivening. And no matter what age we are right.
And on your birthday no less! I mean I can't think of a better birthday present. You frame a picture of you and hang it!
And you give yourself, that book, your therapist, Michelle Dowd, and whoever else is in your corner in this regard a huge hug!
Thank you! I feel I have s lot to celebrate and be grateful for.
We fell in love with your essay! 💗 Many women get handed a deadline early. You walked back in and proved the deadline was fiction. The little girl in the basement finally became a dancer. Very inspiring! Happy belated birthday! Welcome to the barre!
Thank you so much!!
As soon as I saw the title of this piece, I felt joy. Joy that you did it, and joy that you shared it.
I didn't realize the Artist's Way connection - so awesome, too!
I just absolutely love that you are doing this for yourself and finding your way back to the wonder and freedom and joy of childhood dreams.
Thank you, Haide! ☺️
I'm so happy for you, Deborah 🤗 Oh what joy 💜
Thank you! 😊
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. VEEEE!!!
I'm so proud of you. I can't imagine the amount of inner battles you would have fought to dance on that stage.
Learning new skill you love requires a ton of effort and age doesn't make it any easier. This reminded me of the time when I went "crazy" and decided to pick up the violin at 23. I had just been out of the psych ward and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do whatever I had set my mind too. I'm glad I followed through.
But I'll admit that I haven't been consistent since then, and that's my only regret. I'm picking it back up even if it means I can only play a simple G Major scale everyday.
Thanks for sharing this, Dr. V.
Yes!!! Play that music! For your own heart, without concern for performance. I'm so glad you're inspired to return to it!
Thank you for the birthday wishes! 😊
First happy birthday. Second I love ballet too . My mother enrolled me in classes because I was a big ungainly kid. Even decades later I can do a few of the exercises in a pool.
What came out of the classes was a live if the fluidity of dance. I read books that have ballet as a focus....I wished I could afford the ballet Barbie...I used to have posters and still at 70 save ballet pictures online.
Never would be a shining star dancer but it taught me to shine where I could
It's so beautiful, isn't it? I'll never be a prima ballerina but at this age I can just enjoy being part of something lovely. 😊 How wonderful that it brought some joy to your life.
Oh my, you have me in tears Deborah. Rusty ones at that. Your story is my story too, and giving our tiny dancers the freedom to move about our lives is a wondrous thing to witness. At 70, I still do a daily barre even if it’s just 5 minutes, and I think about my best friend of 58 years who was a professional dancer and who spent the entirety of our friendship trying to teach me a decent pirouette. She died a bit ago and this is really one of the ways I still maintain our connection….at the barre.
For another lovely story about late life ballet dreams, see Rona Maynard’s Substack, Amazement Seeker, for her story about fulfilling a long held ballet fantasy that my bestie was able to provide for her. I can’t seem to attach it here properly but it is a worthwhile read along the lines of your story here.
Keep dancing for life!
Thank you, Molly! I will look it up!
And what a precious thing to have a dear friend for 58 years. 🥹
Sooo inspiring! Restacked and shared widely. So proud of you!!!
🥰 thank you! I love that we took that first class together. (Maybe it was the Modern class we shared, but it was the same time frame at least!)
I LOVE this post. I know I got to wish you a happy birthday on our Zoom, but once again happy belated birthday. What an amazing thing you did for yourself, this was completely joyful to read about. The joy was there for all sorts of reasons, but as a fellow 48 year-old, I love that you are honor, honoring your old dreams.
Ah, thank you, friend! 😊
Was thinking of you today!