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158 – Community

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I like walking on the beach. It’s good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

Today is a Friday. The morning is cool – even cold to some – but, I am confident this afternoon will be comfortable for all. No matter how cold it is here, it is still warmer than at home. Today I think about that distant place I call home.

There, our typical Friday night routine is ballroom dancing. Being a 14-hour drive away, we won’t be that here – but I think about that home dance community.

Photo by Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz on Pexels.com

The Friday night crowd is typically 50-75 people gathering for dancing and socializing. Most are regulars – many I’ve gotten to know – others I have not. It is a diverse collection of people that make it work.

Dance abilities range from A to Z. Only several compete, while others don’t hear the beat or the timing well. Most are in between the two extremes.

Some dance with different people while others dance with only their partner – but everyone has a good time.

There are married couples and married solos. Others are single, divorced, widowed, or re-married. There are parents, grandparents, and the kidless. There are American-born and foreign-born. Ages vary – but most are over 40. Those over 60 and 70 say, “Dancing keeps us young because we keep moving.” Occasionally a few college students attend.

There are the tall, the short, and the in-between. The overweight, underweight, and just about right. The fit and the not-so-fit. Introverts and extroverts. Locals and transplants.

Photo by Mikael Blomkvist on Pexels.com

There are the retired, still working, and about to retire. The dancers have a wide range of professional skills; such as engineers, electricians, teachers, doctors, realtors, lawyers, technicians, pharmacists, firemen, scientists, accountants, physical therapists, service industry workers, managers, customer service representatives, IT professionals, dental hygienists, machinists, carpenters, and the self-employed.

There are Protestant and Catholic Christians, Jews, Atheists, and Agnostics. I’m sure a wide range of thoughts exists about creation.

There are Democrats and Republicans, while others are unaffiliated, independent, or don’t vote. Throughout the room are conservatives, liberals, ubers of each, and moderates. Nationalists and globalists are also present.

The music plays – people smile and dance. They laugh and converse. A wide variety of people with a variety of backgrounds, personalities, interests, and personal philosophies make it work despite their differences.

Different people with different experiences and beliefs come together on common ground for a common cause and not bring a soapbox.

We live in a time of labels and partitions. A time with social media and more getting in the way and pulling us apart – segregating us in ways we have not been before.

Photo by Min An on Pexels.com

However, music and dance have a way of lightening the atmosphere – and on a floor without walls, barriers, and labels. Maybe this is simply an expression of the goodness of humanity that is and has always existed.

This is my dance community. Life involves many opportunities, so communities come in many labels. Gardening, professional, sports, games, crafts, learning, cultural, and countless clubs/gatherings of common interest. All of a gathering of people of different backgrounds, ideas, philosophies, and much more. And just like my dance community, during that time together they make it work. The same can be said for the blogging community.

As I walk, thinking about this group at home causes me to smile. It also reinforces my belief that the majority of humanity is good – and this is a good feeling to accompany me because I like walking on the beach because it is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

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55 thoughts on “158 – Community”

  2. What a beautiful dance community, Frank. Here’s to the elimination of labels altogether. They serve no one. We are who we are, each one a unique personality. Labels just serve to cloak who we really are.
    Yamas!
    ps video unavailable.

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  5. There really are a lot of “communities” – I sat here and came up with a LOT of them. I’ve been around a long time and I know this feeling that you have with your dance group – I had that feeling when I was taking painting lessons many years ago. A whole studio full of people who were being creative and supportive of one another and interested in ONE THING at that moment in time. I liked THINKING about community with this blog post Frank. I’m happy to be part of the community here (!).

    Hugs, Pam

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    1. Pam,
      Although this point is about one of my communities, you hit the point. There are many communities in life, and each of us has ours – and some individuals overlap – and that’s where we meet. Communities are very diverse – and the special ones provide a wonderful feeling within us … and ABSOLUTELY – the blogging community fits -and is special. I am also happy you are here and I in yours.

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    2. 🙂 Blogging community BC, I agree. My daughter spoke about sort of sect when she defined BC. They are all reassuring communities for their mumbers. The difficulty is to keep being wide eyes and intellectually critical minded.

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  6. I think perhaps humans seek communities, and it is lovely when we find something like this, where a diverse group of people come together because they share a common interest.
    Though I imagine this community may have changed since COVID.

    BTW, I came looking for this post. I had received a notification earlier in the week for the post, but it was taken down, and then I didn’t get the notification for this one.

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    1. Merril,
      I agree. We seek community because we are a highly social species. COVID created havoc in ballroom dance world. Although many are back – it took a while – and others moved on to other interests they developed during lockdown. …. and yes …. I accidentally hit the publish button when scheduling this post. I think I’m the first person on WP to ever do that!

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  7. Nice post Frank. A few years back I would have enjoyed being part of a dancing community. I do love music and dancing. Now it is bad knees and dizziness that keeps me from dancing. It is nice to be with a community in your own age group – doing the same thing.

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  8. One thing I like about living in an apartment building is that it becomes its own community. Including dogs and children, who may be the most valued members of all. (K)

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  9. I love these words ….. “Different people with different experiences and beliefs come together on common ground for a common cause and not bring a soapbox.” So true. With music and dance we become ONE people with all the differences fading to nothing. That is the magic of music and dancing. Sigh ….. I MISS dancing!!! Hubby won’t go dancing and so I dance alone with a vacuum or when I listen to music as I prepare my breakfast. There is nothing however quite like dancing with a group of people. The energy created is soul lifting. GREAT post, Frank. Thank you!

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    1. Amy,
      Thanks for the wonderful support and comment about this post. If dancing with the vacuum is your outlet, stay the course! Music has a wonderful effect on people … it just so happens this group adds the element of dance. However, I wrote this as a metaphor for many other groups in life. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.

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      1. People on the whole have to bypass the programming and coming back together again peacefully. These divisions are not in our best interest, for divided we fall, united we stand. I remember a time when people despite their differences still managed to be friendly with each other. I so appreciate your look at life, Frank.

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    1. Debra,
      I actually saw some of my dance friends this weekend! Good people. Community is so important – and there are many communities like the one I described, but around a different topic and aiming for a different goal/purpose. Bottom line: Community is part of being human.

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  12. Frank, your dancing community sounds absolutely wonderful. I do believe in the US at least our “social” (ironically) media has driven a stake through the heart of community-building. Hopefully, we can move past our differences at some point, or at least go back to healthy debate without anger or hatred. “United we stand” used to be most important we had going for us in this country and who knows, maybe since we’ve hit rock bottom now there is nowhere to go now but up. A sense of community is exactly what we need to get back to!

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    1. Bruce,
      Glad you enjoy this essay about one of my communities. I actually saw them this weekend, some of them actually twice! I’m with you about social media … and I think we can add what I call “selective news services” …. which are those with an agenda who create the noise in the echo chamber. Thanks for sharing.

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  14. Our blogging community is strong. Honestly, in many ways we’re closer than we are with our friends and family. My preschool classroom is a community. I tell the children, “We are a family”, because we are. Best to you, Frank.

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    1. Jennie,
      I’m glad you mentioned your classroom as a community because from what I’ve seen on your blog, there is no doubt in my mind that it’s a community – and you’re the one driving its creation. Well done. When I started blogging in 2008, I would have never imagined the impact of the blogging community on me. I can’t say enough about them! Although I’ve physically met very few of the bloggers in my community, I would think they would be as diverse of my dance community. 🙂

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    1. Dan.
      Breaking down barriers is a good thing, so focusing on a commonality is a good thing. Today’s world is becoming more segrated, especially around certain topics. In this community, most people stay away from those topics by focusing on easy discussions, dance, and enjoying people. However, there are a few people who have a problem avoiding confrontational topics.

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  16. You know, Frank, besides the obvious health benefit of dance being physical movement, I’m sure that belonging to a community of like-minded people is helpful. Sharing in the joy of the music and the movement and the camaraderie is uplifting! Well done; keep up the good “work”!

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  17. Oh, YES! I love this post, because it tells me that somehow despite all or differences we can still put that aside to have our minds sett on a common interest for the given moment. Its like that where I work, too. Young and old, professionals, with degrees and letters, and those who don’t have anything like that, and those inbetween like me, who have life’s education, and some post secondary education…the skilled workers and the menial workers, we are all there for the common cause of helping those less fortunate to better health or a more comfortable journey in their sunset years.
    We are a team, and we all cooperate to ‘get it done’!
    We don’t even have time to worry/think about our differences most of the time…LOL!

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    1. Ingrid,
      Glad this walk struck a chord with you. Many aspects of life come together in my ballroom community … and we make it work. Well, most people do because some people intentionally push buttons of others. Meanwhile, most of the people will focus on the the events and the reason we are there. Thanks!

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