And so, like so many before them, another week has closed in my life. But this wasn’t an ordinary write-until-I-drop week. This week I took a pseudo-break from writing and reveled in my participation in my town’s Project Graduation fundraiser DANCING WITH THE KEENE STARS…
and I’ve never been filled with so many lingering, joyous, and charged emotions.
I’ll start with the lingering ones. I am, despite what I show to the world, not the most people-loving person. I tend to judge people for how they behave and the things they say( still working on that, daily!), I find myself more times than not nervous and anxiety plagued about saying the wrong thing, and I just would rather be writing than socializing. I could so very easily – if given the chance – be a hermit.
But…..
This cast of DWTS was such a diverse, open, and fun-loving group of people I found myself sucked into their revelry and good spirits every single time I was with them, and all my unleashed misanthropic tendencies went the way of the dinosaur, leaving me with a such a sense of camaraderie and fellowship that I truly WANTED to spend more time with them. Their sense of selflessness and goodwill was overpowering and made me feel hopeful that our little community will continue to thrive and move forward on that good old fashioned Yankee ethic of neighbor helping neighbor. Selfless devotion to a worthwhile cause filled this group of people with purpose and made me a better human just being around them.
At last year’s event, I was a dancer. This year I got to sit back and be a judge. Which role did I prefer? If you had asked me a week ago I would have said judge, every time. But after watching the faces of the dancers, hearing the roaring approval of the audience, and witnessing the ego-growth of each and every participant, I can truthfully say it’s a toss-up. Being a judge was heaps of fun, not to mention much less physical and arduous work, both of which we all know I loathe. ( Sloth, thy name is Margaret-Mary.) After witnessing the joy on the faces of each dancer as they finished a magnificent routine and understanding their sense of individual accomplishment, I realized I wanted to feel that, too. I am so very proud of every dancer, Star and Partner alike, and hope they are as equally proud of themselves.
As I write this, day is dawning through my window and I know the DWTS cast and crew were out last night after the event, partying, dancing, and expelling huge sighs of relief that it was all over. When they wake this morning, a little tired, a little sore, they will relive each dance step, wonder how they could have made it just a little better, and nit-pick every move that wasn’t dance-perfect. This is normal for a morning after. I hope, though, as the day wears on, and the facebook and text congratulations pour in, they will also start to comprehend what a monumental feat they all accomplished. No, they didn’t cure cancer; didn’t drive out poverty; didn’t feed the world. What they did do was devote countless hours of their time, energy, and thoughts to benefiting the graduating high school seniors of our community in order to make their official send-off into the next phase of their lives a fun, safe, and memory-precious night of celebration through an alcohol-free party chockful of activities.
So today, I am emotionally charged with positive feelings of pride, joy, friendship, and love for my community and its members.
And I know these feelings are lasting ones…..
Dancing with The Keene Stars 2017 is already under production, and I pray I am asked to participate again. There is no way I will say no!!!
Peggy Jaeger, Author 