Tim

Tim... What can I say about Tim?

I had a crappy day at work on Monday. I was supposed to be there an hour earlier than I thought so I was called and told I was late. Poop. But within the first hour of me being at work, who should show up and ram into me with a stroller? Tim.

Yeah, seeing him was enough to save my day. That made me wonder. Why is it that seeing him has that effect on me?

Well, I associate Tim with all things fun. Our senses of humor are almost identical, so we spend a lot of the time together laughing. We actually spend a lot of time sparring with quick comebacks. He represents all the fun parts of dance to me. He is really picky and thorough and is specific on technique. I love that. He is a tremendous lead and can make me do moves I would otherwise assume impossible. He is smooth and fluid and serious about how he dances and yet is an extreme diva.

Picture me today in a horrible, horrible mood. The worst I have felt in a long time. The funk is only growing deeper as I head toward dance. Somewhere in the midst of the last of the three, one hour classes, I realize I have not stopped laughing for the last thirty minutes. I am in a wonderful mood.

I received an amazing complement from Tim. He does not hand them out easily. In fact, he usually softens every success of mine with a, "yeah, but don't forget _____." Which is good. I like that he pushes me and won't let me accept where I am. But tonight a guy in the class who "loves to dance" with me came up to Tim and I to tell Tim how great I am. Tim smiles and says, "yeah, pretty soon I won't be able to keep up with her." That elicits a look from me for Tim, because he is just so far beyond me, that I can only wish one day I could dance like him. After my look, he walks up to me, puts his hand on my shoulder and says, "seriously, she remembers every thing I tell her, and writes it down, and practices." And while this doesn't seem like much of a complement, the best dancer I know was discussing my progress and my ability positively with another student. Incredible.

He also depends on me quite a bit during these classes, which is also quite a complement. He asks my opinion about the moves he will teach. He trusts me to tell him when any of the men are having difficulty. He looks to me to see if his counting or footwork was correct as he is explaining the ladies part. He dances with me in order to figure out new moves or counting, which means that he trusts me enough to follow whatever he leads whether I know it or not. And he listens to me when I tell him what other men are doing wrong and then addresses it for the whole class. He uses me to demonstrate during the classes, both to do the "wrong" and the "right". The "wrong" is not so fun, it usually involves dancing way too close or whipping me around or tying me up with our arms, but shows that he is comfortable with me and again that I am able to follow him, even when he is leading poorly.

Here I am toot-tooting my own horn, but I love dancing, I love the way it makes me feel, and I love getting better at it.

And I get to dance again tomorrow! What could be better?