Salsa Dancing!

Tonight I went to a Salsa Dancing class.My dad had been urging me to make the most of staying in center city, and attending a dance class seemed like a good choice of something that I could go to by myself and something that would not bring me into contact with people who were drunk or creepy.

Salsa Dancing, or any other kind of dancing, is not something that scares me, and it is even something I don't mind looking silly doing. The more monumental facts about tonight were that I went somewhere (and back) by myself, and I made the decision to go only 90 minutes before the class started.  In the space of about 20 minutes, I went to the website of a dance studio I had considered joining before, concluded I could make it to the 7pm class, consulted one other person, and decided that I would go.

The class itself was pretty fun. There were 9 students and the instructor, for a total of 5 women and 5 men. Most of the students were a group of young people (20-somethings?) who seemed to know each other and were pretty nice, and there were a couple of older guys as well.  We learned a few basic steps, and then we spent the rest of the time practicing them in sequence and rotating partners. There was one guy who seemed a bit confused, but everyone else was able to lead sufficiently. All in all, this was a successful experience, and I think I would go back for other classes in the future.

What Am I So Afraid Of?

I over-think and over-analyze almost everything. Not so much what to eat or what to wear, but what gadget to buy, what activities to participate in, why I don't want to do things, how to structure my television watching and DVR-recordings to make sure I don't miss any of the shows on my rather long list. One of the problems with all of this thinking is that I can talk myself out of pretty much anything. If someone has ever so much as hinted that something was dangerous or bad, there is a good chance I've never or rarely done that activity.

One of my goals for the summer is to become more comfortable asserting myself and expressing myself. Writing this blog, in itself, is something I am afraid of doing, but seemed like a perfect venue for learning to open up and express myself. Along the way, I plan to use this space to document my experiences as I try some new things and see how they go. Some possible new experiences may include learning to drive, learning to cook, moving out, tweeting and social media use, and speaking to or introducing myself to people I don't know. Stay tuned, this should be fun!