Counting Blessings

Ah, November! I love this month. That feeling that kids have waiting for Santa, well I get that same feeling waiting for Thanksgiving. Turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, dressing, and a thousand other forbidden treats are laid out on the groaning board and the TV's tuned to a football game. Ah tryptophan, God of The Feast and Shepherd of Sluggishness! What does this have to do with dancing? Well, nothing really…I just wanted to revel in the anticipation of the feast to come.

Yesterday Indy Dancers had their annual T-day party. There's something familiar about the environment of the Moose Club and the folding tables loaded up with mismatched dishes filled with homemade goodies. My Thanksgivings never were of the Martha Stewart variety. Mom didn't make soufflé or construct miniature pilgrim scenes from construction paper and pine boughs. There was cigarette smoke and cards and a lot of really good, blue-collar food and everyone, more or less, was happy for it. Of course the big difference between the family T-day celebration and the Indy Dancers event was that at eight o'clock the DJ threw on an up-tempo swing tune and everyone was expected to get out on the floor.

Let me say there is no worse combination than mashed potatoes with gravy and swing dancing. Marathon runners don't chow down before they start the race and there's a really good reason for that! It plays merry hell with your ability to perform. The triple-swing becomes the trypto-swing and that's not a good thing. Some people naturally waddle around the dance floor at half the tempo of the music, they don't need an added excuse. Last night I saw things being done to the WCS that have to be a crime in every dance-minded state in the union. I shudder to remember it.

Still, the evening was great fun and the food was excellent. We had a great time as always. When I sit down to the turkey dinner with my family I'll have one more thing to be thankful for. I'm thankful for the time I had with the Brickyard Boogie Dancers and for still having the Indy Dancers to provide opportunities to get out and dance. I'm thankful that I've had the opportunity to travel to so many great old venues and to hear some really good music in those hallowed halls. I'm thankful for the people who've taught me how to dance from Melissa to Shayne to Rosie and right down to all those who held dance clinics here and there along the road. I'm thankful that I found the courage to take this dance ride with all its highs and lows. But most of all I'm thankful I've been fortunate enough to have such a lovely and talented partner to share the trip with. With blessings like these a fellow's bound to start to feel like the proverbial golden boy!