I achieved a goal this weekend

Since I moved to Bordeaux, I spent most summer nights strolling around the quays. In those moments you could see all kinds of people enjoying the warm weather: they were running, drinking, picnicking, dancing, skating, and even catching Pokémon. Amongst all those activities, it was the dancing that amazed me the most. Never in my life had I witnessed such a pleasant mood: people were gathering in an open space every night and dancing for hours to different kinds of music. I wanted to be part of that crowd, but I wasn’t the kind of person that dances, ever.

Last summer, while passing by the dancing crowd, I drew a line in the sand: this was the last summer I would feel sorry for myself; in 11 months, I’d be part of the dancing crowd.

I knew nothing about dancing, but I felt that I might enjoy Rock’n’Roll or Swing. After some research, I ended up finding a school that offered mixed lessons: 60% of the time would be dedicated to Rock’n’Roll and the rest would be assigned to exploring other dances. It was a perfect fit for me! I mustered all my courage and showed up to the first trial lesson. My biggest fear was finding myself in a group of couples and being left on the sidelines with no partner. Luckily, it didn’t happen that way, and my first lesson was a blast. I enrolled for 10 lessons and later added 25 lessons. I kept showing up every week, and a few months later I even enrolled in a second class: Salsa.

Here I am, 11 months later. It’s summer again, and I am by no means a great dancer. But I know enough moves to be comfortable with being ridiculed. And this weekend, I went dancing three nights in a row with random people: it felt as great as expected.

I was part of the dancing crowd…