Tap Tap Tap.....

Talk about going out of your comfort zone....

Yesterday I did Pilates in the morning, and tap at night!

I have to say, I was coaxed into both. And I have no regrets.

I am not an idea person. I usually follow ideas planted into my brain.  Thankfully, I surround myself with a lot of gardeners!

There are times we just don't think about other possibilities.  We settle into our comfort zone, and go with it for as long as we possibly can.  Unfortunately stagnancy is a problem in our culture.

As I stood with my new tap shoes last night, all I wanted to do was make noise.  I love the tap tap tap sound that my feet make every time they move.

But as the teacher started instructing and the most basic of the moves, a shuffle step, I realized, it's not as easy as it looks.  If you move your feet back and forth, you are only rubbing the plates on the floor.  It literally takes a flick of the ankle to get that "Tap" sound.  I was floored at how frustrating this was, and I flashed back to Aspen at 3 years old learning to skip in class. 

I watched her go around the room, not quite getting it, and I realized at that time, that we literally need to "Learn" everything!!!  True; some things come naturally.  But certain movements do not.

Skipping took Aspen a while, but she was super cute as she was learning.

And I can assure you, as I stood in my tap shoes, with my tongue out of my mouth, between my teeth, lips pursed....I did NOT look as cute as Aspen did as I learned to shuffle.

Thankfully, we moved on quickly to other steps and I wasn't quite so lame.

Pretty soon, I was finding myself a bit hot under the collar, and dare I say.....sweating!!!  For what?  It wasn't like the movements were anything huge.  But the concentration level and the use of the new muscles in ways they haven't been used before did it for me!

By the end of the class, we did a little combination and we got to repeat it a few times.  With each try I was a little more confident.  And on the final try, I think my tongue was back in my mouth!

It is awkward going from a completely capable adult, to a total dependent.  But the feeling of victory is universal!  I survived my first class, and had fun in the process.  I was excited that my new tap shoes will see another day.  And I will do my best to practice the moves taught to me, so I can move forward next week. 

I'm so glad I have my 9 and 11 year olds to help me learn!  This could be a fun ride!

Happy Thursday!