Ireland Vol. 6: International Dance Day and The Lonely Girl Groove

Happy International Dance Day!

Lonely Girl Groove

This weekend is a three-day bank holiday weekend (woo!) and while all my friends are off traveling or spending time with visitors, I elected to stay home for the weekend and just ~relax~ for once.

It has very quickly transported me back to my Arizona days where three day weekends by myself were the norm. It took me a second to find my lonely girl groove again, but I think I have settled in quite nicely.

It’s only Saturday afternoon and I’ve already taken a romantic solo walk on the beach, feasted on frozen pizza and Ted Lasso episodes, embarked on a sunrise 5 mile hike, enjoyed breakfast by the beach, washed all my dishes and caught up on two loads of laundry. Relaxation at its finest. 

One of the most important lessons I have learned the past three years is how to be okay with, and even enjoy, time by myself. Sure, my favorite nights by far are game nights with the Sligo squad, but there’s something really special about knowing you can be alone and not feel like there’s anything missing. As I type that out it just sounds like something a single person tells themselves to make them feel better about their singleness, but I promise it’s true! 

Okay Fine Maybe I’m Just a Little Nostalgic

Between all the chores and activities, though, I have also had plenty of time to take this International Day of Dance and reminisce on something has has been such a substantial part of my life, my whole life. 

I began dancing at the age of three, and continued all the way up until my senior year of college. I’ve done recreational dance, competition dance, high school dance, company dance. I’ve done ballet, jazz, hip hop, tap, ballroom, modern, even belly dancing. These days about all the dancing I do is around my kitchen while I’m baking, but let’s just say I’ve done all the dances. 

I think dance was always such a passion of mine because it was a perfect depiction of me as a person. It was technical, each movement had a count, it required precision and synchronization and discipline. It was also, however, beautifully creative. It had feeling and expression and told a story. It was Megan the Engineer but also Megan the Blogger/Baker/Reader/Music Connoisseur. It was everything I am, tied up in a bow.

Confession Time

The only problem was I wasn’t very good at it. 

I wasn’t one of those people with the legs that went on for miles who were born in their middle splits. Nor was I one of those people who could just turn like they were a top. I wasn’t tricky, I wasn’t a standout.

I’m not trying to humble myself or prompt sympathy. I wasn’t a bad dancer, it just didn’t come naturally to me. I was good enough to be a solid contributing member of the 2nd best high school JV dance team in the country (go X!). I will say the one thing I did have going for me, though, was my stage presence. The thing that had nothing to do with technique and everything to do with passion and love for the game, well I had that in spades. 

Stubborn, But in a Good Way

A key part of my personality, and something that has served me well over the years, is that I despise quitting and I hate being told I can’t do something. That’s how I ended up dancing for over 75% of my life. Well that and because I absolutely loved it. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t in the front row of most dances, I was in the room and that was enough for me. That’s not to say I didn’t work extremely hard to improve. I took studio dance classes, competition classes, dance camps, even private lessons. I held immense pride for my spot on that team because I knew I earned it through hard work and simply not taking no for an answer. 

Then I got to college, and Engineering didn’t come easy to me either. In the same way, I had to work very very hard to keep up with everyone else. But I did it, I made it through, and because of that I have gotten the opportunity to work on life-saving medical devices and live in amazing places and meet incredible people. 

Three Cheers for Dance!

The great news about dance, though, is that you don’t have to be good at it for it to positively affect your life! Whether it is going to a ballet class, dancing in a club, or jumping around your room alone on a Tuesday night, putting movement to music has the same effect on your happiness and wellbeing no matter the form it takes, or the skill level you have. Through dance I learned discipline, I made lifelong friends, I got to push myself physically and creatively, and most importantly I got to wear bright purple eyeshadow, fake eyelashes, and a unitard to school every Friday. I learned that you can make it pretty darn far if you’re willing to work hard enough for something, but also that you don’t have to the best for it to bring you immense joy. 

Dancing is so accessible, so forgiving, and ignites so much joy. It celebrates different people, different cultures, different styles, and different abilities. It can make people laugh or make people cry without a single word spoken. While it looks much different for me now than a few years ago, dance is still an integral part of my daily life. Sure I may look like a fool dancing around alone in my apartment, but if it puts a smile on my face, then why not?

Happy International Dance Day!

So Happy International Dance Day to those who observe! And to those who don’t, you probably don’t like rainbows or puppies or home baked chocolate chip cookies either, do you?