I Danced!!!!!!!!!!!!!

image via http://www.grapejews.com/

For those who don't know, I have been disabled to one degree or another for the past twelve years.  I've used canes daily the entire time, but have also spent great amounts of time in both a manual and a power wheelchair. I had surgery to repair 3 levels of my spine this past May, and have been walking and swimming well since June.  After surgery, I had to come up with a 3 month goal and a 6 month goal.  My 3 month goal was to dance.

I still use canes on stairs or when I am carrying my laptop or anything else of significant weight, but I have also been moving better and was given permission this month to exercise and stretch in new directions, and permission to dance.  Not wheelchair dancing. Not sitting and clapping while everyone else moved.  Not even dancing with crutches.  Dancing.

Today I danced!  I taught my 7th graders at Beth Shalom how to dance the Hora for all the Bar & Bat Mitzvah parties, and I danced with them!  Before we started, I honestly didn't know how well it would go, or even if I would fall.  I didn't fall.  I danced and danced and taught them how to celebrate in a Jewish way.  I danced.

Huge, huge thanks to God and my doctors.  My gratitude is overwhelmed only by my joy.

I am crying such tears of joy as I write this.  Honestly, you have no idea how much I have missed dancing.

I am only sorry that I didn't ask someone to photograph or take video or the event, but that just means I have to do it again.