Shake Your Booty

I just came from my Zumba class at the Havre de Grace Senior Center.  It was three years ago that Dee suggested I sign up for a class or two.  I am forever indebted.  The Center offers a variety of classes, less than half the price of those offered privately or through the community college.  I believe there are some government subsidies involved...yea America!

Most of the classes are wonderful, but there have been a few fails in the offerings.  I had always wanted to learn Tai Chi, but after one semester with the instructor, I was done.  He was a cranky man, made cranky by his desire for perfection of form.  I did my best, but I am a slow learner.  He seemed to focus on me and snap any time my form was off.  It was off a lot.  At one point he exclaimed in sheer exasperation, "Is there something wrong with you?!?"  When I told him I was currently in physical therapy for my bad knee, he backed off for a while.  (I sincerely apologize NOW to any of my former students that I may have barked at as they struggled to learn.  I so get it now!  If it makes you feel better, Karma got me good during this class.)  I was traumatized, and I will sadly never look like those Chinese people you see stretching and turning in controlled slow motion at the outdoor parks.  No more Tai Chi for me.

There is an afternoon class offered for free for people with arthritis.  Since an orthopedic doctor once told me I was riddled with it, I signed on.  This is a wonderful class that anybody in any shape can take.  The class uses all the exercises I performed in physical therapy.  It is like free physical therapy!!  What a bargain! I love to go.  There's a couple there who just make me shake my head.  The husband is one of the sweetest men I've ever seen.  He smiles constantly, engages the quieter and shyer classmates in conversation, and participates in the exercises with gusto.  His wife is the biggest sourpuss on earth. One day she had kvetched the whole hour.  Finally, she started yapping about the finger exercises and how worthless they are.  I'd had it, so I looked at her with great concern and said, "What's the matter?  Do you feel like you're not getting your money's worth?"  I caught her hubby's eye as he struggled to keep from laughing.  I keep trying to talk an older friend of mine who has become very sedentary to start with this class.  But she'd rather watch TV.

My favorite class is Zumba Gold.  The "gold" is the gentle term indicating this class goes somewhat slower than the ones you see advertised on TV.  There are some real characters in this class.  One of my favorite people is Rosie.  I knew her from my much younger days when we took aerobics together.  Someone told me she is in her eighties.  She rocks!  She looks years younger and her agility is enviable.  However, she is truly a senior.  One day she was on a rampage that there were too many young people in our class.  Since you only have to be fifty to attend class, I tried to convince this older woman that people thirty years younger may look too young, but they're really old.  She wasn't buying it. I don't know what her problem was, we meet in a big gym with lots of room.  I don't see those "young" women anymore.  I prefer to think they graduated to regular Zumba somewhere and not that anyone got them kicked out for being too young.

I stay in the back row; and as a result of that, I've learned a lot about my classmates.  One lady travels a lot in the USA.  I know because of her t-shirts.  Another woman thinks she's a ballerina.  She points her toes for everything, moves her arms gracefully like she's a dancing swan.  And, as I huff and puff, she floats with her beatific smile plastered on her face.  I knew another woman's diet was working as her butt shrank before my eyes.  The person to my left loves to dance, and when it is time to shake it, she shakes it like Shakira.  On a side note, her kindergarten grandchild whom she taught to dance, had her mother spoken to because of some of the risque moves she learned from granny.  Miss Fingers is also in the class. She uses weights and does her own steps quite often because, as we all know, she knows best.  I don't know why more men don't take Zumba.  The cardio is universally good for all of us. But, only one man takes the class.  I've seen others peek in the room, and I can just tell that they really want to participate. I guess they think this is women's work (they are, after all, of an older generation).

I think some of the biggest problems facing the elderly are loneliness and inactivity.  I know people who are compromising their quality of life by refusing to get off the couch.  If only they would take a few classes!  The exercise is good.  The people are welcoming and friendly.  It's a great place to go.  If I may borrow some lyrics from the theme to "Cheers" (as written by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo), I'll leave you with this:

                Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
                Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.

               Wouldn't you like to get away?

                Sometimes you want to go

                Where everybody knows your name,
                and they're always glad you came.
                You wanna be where you can see,
                our troubles are all the same
               You wanna be where everybody knows
               Your name.