Passport

“Ohhh, I wanna dance with somebody, with somebody who loves me.” Whitney Houston

I love to dance. Back in the day, home alone, I’d crank up the volume and get to it. It’s funny/not funny to me how the things I love to do the most are the things I seem to do the least.

Now that I’m looking at more years of my life behind me rather than in front, it’s striking way closer to home the importance of finding time to do more of the things that spark joy…which includes, travel, being creative, and yes…dancing!

I think I began to touch upon this in last months’ column, finding gratitude and joy. It’s been heartening to receive so many wonderful agreeing comments from my column’s readers. It dawned on me from the emails I received that readers may have needed relief from my series of dismal dating drama as much as I did. My momentary reprieve from kvetching about my lackluster dating life and focusing more on gratitude seemed to hit a nerve. (A good nerve apparently). I’m glad to have offered some much-needed optimism. I know I sure needed it.

At the time I was writing last month’s column, the mid-term elections were right around the corner and quite honestly, speaking for myself, I needed all the optimism I could muster with the prospect of political doom hanging over the country as far as I saw it. I can’t recall how many times I have actually engaged in conversations with friends over the last few years discussing the very real possibility of moving out of this country depending on how the elections played out. It reminded me of a quote I read somewhere that went something like, “Jewish people always know where their passports are.” In the last 6 years I’ve come to understand that reality more than I wish I had to. Thank goodness, the mid-term elections are over now, and my political anxiety and election cycle PTSD can be put to rest, along with my passport, at least until 2024.

Speaking of passports, last year at this time, my son and I had planned a trip and bought tickets to visit family in Israel whom I have not seen in over twenty years. I was so looking forward to it, and then Covid shut down the borders the day before we were to leave. That trip went down the tubes.

This year, even with no big plans in sight, I am looking forward to the upcoming holidays. Now that Covid has seemingly settled in with all the other regular seasonal diseases, like the flu and colds, and vaccines and boosters seem more like a morning routine, the new “normal” has finally taken hold. I’ve noticed I long to socialize again, go to holiday parties and yes, dance.

So, while 2022 comes to an end and while, yes “I wanna dance with somebody, somebody who loves me” I think this holiday season, I’ll just party like it’s 1999 for old times’ sake.