Dancing and Holiday Queens

Multiple Sclerosis Goes Out

It was almost 8 PM and I was retouching my makeup.

Wait.

What?

Did you read what I just wrote?

8 at night and I was retouching my makeup?

It was a wild night if I was still wearing makeup past 7:30.

Most days, makeup comes off and comfy clothes or pajamas come on before 7, if I was even wearing makeup or street clothes earlier in the day.

But here I was, applying lip gloss and waiting for my friend from forever, Amy, as we were going out dancing.

You see, she had just discovered a great, local cover band and we were hooked.  They were called Riptide and were a ton of fun!!

The last time we had seen them we had done dinner first and so we weren’t leaving our houses at the ungodly hour of 8:30 for a night out.  It seemed less dramatic if we met up with 2 other dear friends, had a nice restaurant meal and just happened to be sitting around when the band started.

But tonight, Amy, who had lost all sense of reality and calendar, (hello, we used to leave after 8 for a night’s out in the 90’s not in 2022!), had a work party and then was meeting me.

The thing is, I wanted to go.  Things had been stressful and busy and I did really enjoy the music. Plus, for a big project earlier in the day I needed to take my legal speed RX and the effect now that the project was over was that I wanted to move.  Still, it was December and cold and dark out.  But I was insisting, I was going to go dancing.   I gave one last, longing look to my super comfy pjs and followed Amy out the door.

I used to be an award-winning dancer.  I can say this because I won the best dancer contest at Scott Rego’s second grade birthday party. I even took home a wicked cool prize.

I think it was a slinky.

Since multiple sclerosis took over and standing gets achy very quickly, I’ve become an amazing chair dancer. Why oh why don’t they have competitions for that?  If they did, I’d be the first to sign up!

We arrived at the bar and despite the promise of my bladder wreaking havoc on my body after bedtime, and the  general ickiness of a bar bathroom, I ordered a seltzer.  Did you know that hard seltzer is different from regular seltzer?  Trust me, that is information you need to know if you plan on going pub crawling or regular dancing or, even, chair dancing.

Luckily I did know and ordered one hard seltzer.   To start that is…

You can dance

You can jive

Having the time of your life…..

I can dance.  And maybe I can jive.

Despite the fact that going out on the town made me vain and I refused to wear my usual foot attire, (podiatrist recommended, expensive, specialty sneakers,) and opted for some low healed, casual boots and thus, my feet hurt, I was having a great time.

Ooh see that girl

Watch that scene

Digging the dance queen

I imagine I was quite a scene.  I was sliding all over the place in my dancing shoes, was most likely out of rhythm, and trying hard to keep my left knee from going out.  But I was out dancing; real, full on, missing my 21-year-old self and the girl who won THE dancing prize at a birthday party, dancing.  I didn’t care if I was making a scene.

 

 

Young and sweet

Only seventeen

 Ok that part wasn’t exactly true.  I wouldn’t call myself young, I was closer to 57 than 17-by a few years mind you- and hadn’t felt sweet since I worked at a candy store when I WAS young and sweet and practically seventeen.  I might not have been quite the dancing queen but I tend to think royalty can be overrated.

Feel the beat of the tambourine, oh yeah

You can dance

You can jive

Having the time of your life

 

This part was completely true!  Even the tambourine part.  Mel, the lovely lead singer of Riptide, handed Amy a tambourine and we continued dancing away.  Right up to last call!

Ok, last call at this establishment was 11 rather than the last call that Amy and I enjoyed in our twenties. But still… We were having the time of our lives.

We wandered back to my place and since Amy was too tired to drive home, she crashed on my sofa.

Just like thirty years ago!!!

True, there was no before bed shots or major munchies or gossiping about the evening to all hours, like in the days of old.  I think we were both asleep by 11:30 and were totally spent.

The next morning I woke up not with a hangover, but with a vicious sore right hip!

What is that about?

And if it was from dancing, how come both hips didn’t hurt?

Was I swinging my hips?

Can you only swing one hip?

Not me or my hips

I just took a break from writing to try to just swing one hip and I really don’t think you can. It’s sort of just a weird jerk of your body that I can’t picture doing on the dance floor, even if I’m no longer a second-grade dancing professional.

Was the ache from my multiple sclerosis or from me trying to pretend to be the dancing queen I thought I was when I was 8, and then again when I would go out after 8 PM when I was 21.  Luckily, it was one of those aches that you feel but feel after something good for you- like going to the gym or having fun.  Since I DO NOT go to the gym, I’d take it that it was from having fun.

Three weeks later, I discovered a tender spot on the right side of my foot.  Could this be from wearing dancing shoes, weeks after I went dancing?

Seriously?

I decided to visit my best medical team.

They, WebMD, said it could be bursitis, joint fracture, tendonitis, or even, perish the thought, arthritis.  I’m going to throw in other potential causes such as my MS or my imagination.

Who’s to know?

If it gets worse I’ll get it checked out.  And maybe the next time Amy and I go dancing I’ll wear my recommended sneakers.

Not Amy or me

But we WILL go dancing again.

It was fun and if I’ve learned anything at all, life it too short to not have some fun!  Even if it is going to take place after 8 PM.

Dancing queens indeed!!!

Not us either

And speaking of queens, as we get ready for the holidays, I thought I would add this picture of my 14-month-old niece because she is adorable and can’t get much more Christmassy than this.  She either got bored while her parents were putting up the tree or, she has named herself the official Christmas Queen!

I’m going for the latter!!

My niece

Happy holidays to all of you, my friends, whatever winter holiday you may be celebrating.  Please try to have some fun.

Maybe even dance a bit.

And if you’re on Cape Cod for New Year’s Eve and want a fabulous band to dance with, join Joe, Dan, Mel, and Don of Riptide at the Red Nun in Dennis!

****Lyrics from ABBA.  Of course*****

ABBA