We went contra dancing last night and it was basically awesome. There were moments of true loveliness. There was exercise. There was laughter. There was a lot of learning. And there was a feeling of communion, in a way. I had a sense of moving in a group as a community purely for fun. How often does that happen? Its kind of like the feeling you get sitting around a campfire, but in motion. Our group was small and multi-generational. But this is what it can look like. Check out the stylish couple at the end!

One thing we noticed last night, and you can see it here as well, almost no one who contra dances is fat. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for body-loving acceptance and all that jazz. But the general public down here is obese. Because no one does anything anymore. No one farms or chops wood or builds stuff or, ya know, moves. Moving has gone out of fashion. But not with contra dancers. It feels GREAT to plug my kids into a community that enjoys health as a byproduct of their life, rather than a goal. And hopefully I'll find dance opportunities enough to get in better shape. I could feel my knees last night. *~*