Confidence

A few years ago when I was recently separated and in the depths of despair, my friend and hairdresser, who had been telling me about her ballroom dance hobby for years, encouraged me to take a trial lesson at her studio. “One day can bend your life” is a quote I like from Mitch Albom; the day I booked that appointment was one of those days for me. When I nervously stepped onto the dance floor and my teacher took my hand to lead, I was unsettled to have such close physical contact with a stranger and felt like a deer in headlights. But he immediately put me at ease, and I was hooked on ballroom dancing. I started taking lessons on my Fridays off while my kids were in school, and soon the dance studio became my “happy place.” As a newcomer learning American Smooth and Rhythm styles (with salsa, hustle, bachata, and other social dances mixed in) and experiencing the exhilaration of my first competitions, my confidence grew until I was catapulted from an empty shell to a confident woman again. “Spread your wings…chest and heart open…stand up and show up…let the ground support you but stay lifted…posture and presence…strong and out…up and forward…sparkle!” These words and phrases were gemstones on my journey of healing through my divorce. My teacher would often jokingly say we’re “kind of a big deal” and helped me regain self-confidence that carried over in my personal life. Divorce may have knocked the wind out of my sails, but those early lessons from my first ballroom teacher helped fill them again.