(More Than) Dance Lessons

Almost six weeks ago, Brian and I started taking dance lessons.

At his suggestion.

I know! Amazing, isn't it?
(There is a reason I call him "Mr. Wonderful".)
OK, full disclosure - his friend invited us to the class. It wasn't all Brian's doing.
But he could have said no to his friend without ever telling me about it. And he didn't.
Mr. Wonderful.

It has been fun learning how to dance with Brian. And I am looking forward to the next time we get to go to a wedding reception - and really dance.
(I mean, we have A LOT of practicing to do. But we'll get there.)

The interesting thing to me, though, is that learning to dance is only secondary to what this class is really teaching me. That is, this is the first time I have danced when I am not supposed to memorize a routine and perform it to the best of MY ability.
This time, I am simply to learn various steps - and follow Brian's lead.
When our lessons first began, the whole idea of following his lead sounded wonderful to me. Our instructor described the man's role as thinking ahead, planning the next steps, and guiding his partner through them. All I needed to do was follow his lead.
No planning.
No charting a course.
No copious amounts of thinking.

Just look pretty, follow along, and enjoy the ride.

Now - to this mother/household engineer - letting somebody else do all the thinking and planning sounded pretty close to heaven. I was all for it!
But five weeks of dance lessons and an increasing amount of practicing at home has shown me something about myself I had not previously realized: I am not very good at following.
Rather, I am prone to anticipating moves ahead of time and *gasp* trying to plan what's coming next.
(My poor husband. Dancing is not his forte, and I am not making it any easier on him...)
It's good, though.
We're talking about how we need to communicate the dance steps - how I can "listen" and he can "speak". We're spending more time in each other's arms. (While dancing to Barry Manilow tunes, no less!)
And we're having fun.

Looking for a good way to invest in your marriage?
I recommend dance lessons. *smile*

P.S. For those of you in the Lansing area, check out the Center for Social Dance.