Dancing with Different Stars

I may have mentioned a time or seven hundred that I love, love, love music! As an appendage to that, I also love dancing. Ronald darling and I have been known to cut the rug from time to time. Waltz and swing are our favorites with square dance and polka thrown in. Boot Scootin' Boogie, not so much.
Remind me sometime to tell you the funny story about Ronald darling and square dancing. You will fall on the floor laughing. Oh yeah, I forgot, I can just write ROFL! But that is a story for another time. Today we are talking about other people dancing.
In addition to music, singing and dancing, I like see them put together in one place and call it a musical!
You want to know my five favorite musicals? Sure, here you go!

• The Music Man
• Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
• Damn Yankees
• Oklahoma
• West Side Story

The next five?

• Fiddler on the Roof
• Mary Poppins
• State Fair
• South Pacific
• High Society

I could go on...... When I discovered musicals I found that some people don't like them. Really. I could not understand, so I just up and asked them. Why not!?! The reason they gave was completely irrational. You want to know the reason? They thought that musicals were illogical. No one busts out singing at the drop of a hat. But they are wrong, because I DO!

I DO! I DO! by the way, is the name of another musical, which I've never seen.

But along with the music and the singing is the dancing. Love it. Here is a clip of dancers from about 40 different musicals. They are in a montage set to one piece of music. The editing is great, because all of the choreography fits the music.

WARNING! Some of the shows were made in the 80's, so there is scary hair. Also scanty costumes on a some of the dancers may bother you. And the obligatory hip grinding that passes for dancing in some venues. Forewarned is forearmed.

Mormon Monday

Have you heard the phrase "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"? Yeah, me too. It's not a strictly Mormon phrase, ya know, everybody knows that. And I always thought I knew what it meant. Cater to mama, make sure she's happy and has everything she wants or she will make your life a living... well, you know. Kind of cute, kind of catchy and men just love to say it and roll their eyes!

This phrase from the Sunday School lesson caused some discussion.
"A loving and happy family does not happen by accident. Each person in the family must do his or her part. The Lord has given responsibilities to both parents and children. The scriptures teach that we must be thoughtful, cheerful, and considerate of others. When we speak, pray, sing, or work together, we can enjoy the blessings of harmony in our families."
One sweet (and very young) sister said that she'd realized that it was her responsibility to set the tone in her home. Not hers alone, but still, hers. Another said that she arose every morning before her children, dressed, exercised, prayed and studied the scriptures before anyone else was up. That way, her day started right - before she began taking care of her husband, children and home.

And there was my "ah ha" moment. I must to choose to be happy. Not that I don't, usually I am a disgustingly cheerful, upbeat person. Nauseatingly so, at times. But when I was a young, upstart mom? Probably not so much. If I knew then what I know now....

I'm grateful for this phrase from Colossians 3:15 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts..."

Tears

Tears come easily to some people. Too easily sometimes. Take me for instance. You knew it would come back to me, didn't you? It always does! I'm my favorite topic. Anyway, I cry easy and easily. Easy because there are no wracking sobs, just the little lip tremble, the quaver in the voice and the tear trickling down my cheek. And you wouldn't believe the list of things that bring that reaction. For instance, a few years ago McDonald's televised a commercial that showed a group of six or seven very young children, say five or six years old. All walking into McDonald's out of a rain storm, each of them in a little yellow slicker and rain hat, with clumsy rain boots. It was so sweet and cute, that I teared up on the spot. Silly.
My daughter was once describing "Shadowlands", a movie that was brilliant, but sad. Hers was a warning to everyone that it was difficult to watch. She turned to me and said, "It would probably kill you." She knows I can't watch sad movies.
One of the most painful scenes in a movie is the end of "Carousel". Have you seen the movie? A real tear-jerker; and that last scene is something else. Ask me about it someday, you'll find that I can't describe it without tearing up. Billie comes back from the grave to try to help his wife get through the trials of life. At the end, he stands behind her and sings "When You Walk Through a Storm". He couldn't be the husband that she needed in life but was trying to help her. My description isn't adequate, but it is excruciatingly sad.
Anyway, tears. This is United Way enrollment week in the office where I work. I'm not a fan of United Way, but they gave us free ice cream for the kickoff. Yum. And every day, there are representatives from two organizations that receive funds from the program. Today, one of them was Hospice of Dayton. Hospice is great and I thought I'd go over and tell them so, and thank them for what they did for my dad. My dad died over 7 years ago and was only at Hospice for 24 hours. Yet I stood there and cried. Even now, thinking about that little two minute vingette, the tears come, the throat tightens and I can't speak. I don't think about him often, but I love him. And I remember.

Done It Again

At this moment, there are three sets of five pound hand weights on my bedroom floor, under a table. There is an exercise ball, still in the box, a medicine ball with video training, and at least three exercise bands in the same place. Do I use them? NO, I DON'T!
Over many decades I've owned some exercise equipment. Two treadmills, an exercise bike and a stair-stepper come to mind. They were passed to me from my parents who also didn't use them. Over a certain amount of time, they became excellent clothes racks. Eventually they were passed on to others with good intentions.
I must confess... well, I mustn't confess but will, I am sometimes concerned at the level of inactivity in my life. I remember looking at my mother and thinking, "For crying out loud, the woman never gets out of her recliner!" She was about 70 when I first started thinking that. And here I am, not 70. Many days, I come home from work, sit down in the recliner, pull the laptop into my lap (go figure), pick up the remote control for the television and don't. get. up.
I should be going for nice long walks, enjoying the free gym that's available at my workplace, doing a few pushups every morning, yadda yadda yadda. But I don't. A variety of aches and pains make for great excuses, but with or without them, I don't.
Which brings me to today. Leaving the temple, we found that the lovely neighborhood across the street was having a community garage sale. Nothing like being spiritually fed and then browsing through strangers' junk with the hope of finding a hidden treasure. So there we were, driving around, and I spotted it! An exercise bike. Not a really tacky, half broken one but not a high end humongous one with 400 bells and whistles. We stopped, I got on it and it worked. Smoothly, without dropping me or making me feel like it would drop me. I would have haggled (although I don't like that very much) except the price had been dropped to $10. Ten. Dollars. We bought it, Ronald darling wrestled it into the back of the car with only a minor tear in the fabric on the interior roof of the car. We drove home with it sticking out of the hatchback, strapped shut, only vibrating slightly over the road.
We brought it in the house, not sure where to put it. Some furniture rearrangement in the bedroom will be involved. Right now, it sits in the living room. We've both been on it and realize that even without resistance, it can provide a much needed workout.
So, I've done it again, fallen victim to my good intentions. We'll see. I don't need another clothes rack. Wish me luck!