D is for Dancing!!

.............so, I am just going to blog and apologize for being so scarce. I am first going to walk though before this blog becomes a reason for it not to happen! Be back in an hour.
OK, so my first walk since my orthopediac surgeon put a ban on walking. Not bad, except I forgot the "blanket" for my mouth and so I wheezed my way through the walk because the weather is still cold and induces asthma - and my goal is to be so organized I spend the night before choosing the right music like my hero Lindsey, and can't even remember the mouth blankie and the inhaler!

Well, it is folk dancing season here in SA, traditionally called – toyi-toyi-ing. Everyone wants more, so there are protests and strikes from every region, every job type, every union, and I call it rolling mass action, because they are considerate enough to do it one at a time and so every week it is a different group. At least we don't go without water, power, sanitation, taxis and telephones all at once! Out in the streets our people are doing the Pony, the Watusi and the Mashed Potato. They’re whirling like dervishes and shimmying up a storm as they kick over garbage bins and, in a brilliant spectacle of colour and passion, toss the contents high into the air like streamers in a symbolic search for the relics of the national fowl, the one deep-fried in a batter containing 11 secret herbs and spices.

Recently, the doctors and medical staffers at state hospitals toyi-toyied with the best of them, but then they had access to God knows what in the muti (medicine) department.

What about the rest of us? It is all kept a safe distance from the sanitized suburbs where we need a substantial amount of fine malt in us to even consider the possibility of a midday shuffle. I am thinking that all the middle class people who have had to cut gym memberships due to the recession, may very well like to boogie in the streets collectively at lunchtime. Zumba has always appealed to me - in fact I once saw the most amazing thing in Caracas - this huge central park where hundreds and hundreds of people gathered on Sundays - some were playing group games like, running red rover, others looked like versions of twist - but lots of team sports and then this massive area where every conceivable shape, age, colour and creed were neatly lined up and doing zumba to some hypnotic Latino rythyms. It was honestly the most magical moment to see such lack of reserve, such uninhibited fun, uncontrived and spontaneous and just family and friends having fun in it's purest form. So, as much as I love walking, I can't say it is FUN - I like it very much, I clear my mind, I think of possibilities and solutions for pressure points but I am going to find something fun .... and cheap..... to do this week on a consistent basis. I had a temporary lapse of sanity and had a momentary flashback of "rock-hopping" in the river in my youth and was going to ask my 23 yr old Ashar if I could join him in Parkour or free running. Well, not now anyway - maybe - a year's time?
I am falling and getting up and falling and getting up, and am up at the moment, so am setting goals to keep me up , since I have neglected to do so for many months. POGS here I come!
Take care and thanks for the insights and magnificent pics of healthy food - very inspiring!
d