the dance of dating

Yesterday, I met my resolution's goal for February and didn't even realize it until afterward.

In the spirit of doing what I love, a female friend and I went to a free dance lesson in my city. It was honky tonk, so we thought it was line dancing, but it was actually partner dancing. Oops. We came without guys and we haven't known each other long enough to be comfortable dancing together. :-P Honky tonk isn't our favorite type of music and I had enough country music when I lived in the south! However, I like dancing and am always up for a free dance lesson, even if it's honky tonk two step. The lesson was followed by a couple hours of dancing, accompanied by a live honky tonk band.

Well, after the lesson, both she and I were asked to dance several times by different men. It sure was nice to be drawn from wallflower-dom! I'm not feminist enough to ask a strange man to dance. That's when traditional gender roles kick in with me. I like being asked to dance though, a man taking my hand to the floor and then taking me by the hand back to my seat.

It occurred to me that dancing with strangers is not dissimilar to dating. If only women thought of dating as a "dance" rather than hunting for a spouse! We wouldn't go so nuts when the date doesn't call us back. Dancing is a microcosm of dating. You spend a little time with a man, and then try out another one. You expect that you might not see them again after that night, but it was fun in the meantime. Some men are good dancers, some are not so good, but you roll with it, and there's no need to see the bad dancers again. It's all about getting out there and having fun.

So now I have another activity to add to my list of ways to meet more guys: free dance lessons. Maybe I should try going alone one day. I'd rather go to a dance lesson alone than a singles event.