One Degree of Separation.....

I have five close girlfriends in Knoxville. They are, as one of them would say, my Knoxville "inner circle." Some I see more than others. Some prefer email communication. Some are work friends. Some are business owners. Some I talk to every day. All are special in their own unique way and all are appreciated. I celebrated the fourth anniversary of my fortieth birthday on June 19th. I wanted to get my inner circle together for dinner so they could all meet one another. As I told them, I would be the common denominator; the closest "degree." So everyone started flipping through their calendars as we searched for a "common" Saturday night when everyone could join me for dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant. That date turned out to be July 23rd and I sent out a reminder the week before. This is the kind of birthday celebration that I love. A gathering of friends, especially female friends, to sit with while joking, talking, gossiping, and enjoying great food. I have known this group of ladies for 42 years, 22 years, 13 years, 4 years and 3.5 years. One is like a sister I never had, one let me squeeze her hand as I gave birth to my son, one remembers all my important dates for me, one dragged herself up Mt. LeConte in blazing heat for me and one hugs me every time I see her.
So......I arrive at the restaurant, turn the corner into the back room.....and there they are. Talking and smiling. My inner circle. The women that are my friends. The women I exchange jokes with. The women I attend dance events with. The women who know my faults yet appreciate my friendship. The women who know the good in me. The women who laugh and make me feel like I’m fun to be around. All together. Some meeting others for the first time. What a great dinner. What a wonderful way to celebrate an otherwise "blah" forties birthday. Every woman should have an inner circle. I joked with my girlfriends that we should call ourselves the Common Denominator Club since I was the person who knew everyone and had brought them all together. Well, they thought that was.....in a word.....stupid. So I’ve been trying to think of a name for our little group of middle-agers because I’d like for us to get together again. And calling ourselves something would be fun. After all......isn’t it really all about the fun?

Many Smiles, New Friends

Recently, I’ve been heading to the Laurel Theater on Monday nights for a little contra dancing. One Monday evening I was walking around in my neighborhood and saw a diverse group of folks dancing through the windows to the music of a live band. I went in and watched and it looked like a lot of fun. Every single person on the dance floor was smiling. Genuinely smiling. And the smiles never went away. Hey, I thought to myself, I want a little of what they have.
So what’s contra dancing, you say? Well, here’s some tidbits taken from the internet:
A caller, usually working with a group of live musicians, guides new and experienced dancers alike through a variety of dances. A dancer and his or her partner dance a series of figures, or moves, with each other and with another couple for a short time. They then repeat the same figures with another couple, and so on. The figures are similar to those of old-time square dancing. The figures are combined in different ways for each different dance. The caller teaches each dance before it is actually done to the music. An evening that includes contra dancing might be called a Contra Dance, an Old-Time Contra Dance, an Old-Time Country Dance, a Barn Dance, or similar. Most contra dance events will include a few dances of other kinds: traditional squares, waltz, polka, swing and other types of couple dance. What contra dance is NOT: Contra dance has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with country line dancing. Nada. Zilch. And no funding is received from Oliver North! :)
Oh, heck....just go here: http://www.sbcds.org/contradance/whatis/
I enjoy contra dancing very much. Although I’m by no means a pro at it.....I suppose I can no longer call myself a novice. I’m also learning some pretty cool waltz moves! :) And I get to touch a whole lot of different men....all in one night. And they're all smiling!