I was newly divorced and had moved into an apartment just a couple of miles from my old neighborhood. I was driving down a local street as I was out doing errands and saw my daughter and her cross country teammates run by. The ache in my heart made it almost impossible to breathe. My eyes filled with tears. The years when I was invoved on a daily basis with my daughter’s life and the lives of her friends were over. I drove by my old house and felt an emptiness grip me. I missed our life in our old neighborhood. I missed my role as a mom. I missed my office with the view of the backyard and the white light of the empty sky over the ocean streaming through the windows. I missed the dinners and holidays and celebrations, the homework and the bath times.
I suddenly found myself with a lot of extra time on my hands.
I decided to find some activities to pursue that I’d always wanted to have time for…after many years building and working in my own business, raising my daughter, taking care of varioius pets, and running a large home, it was time to have some fun of a different kind.
The community I found with the country dance crowd has been fundamental to my happiness. The people who follow country music are open,cheerful, comprise all ages from 21 to 95, and come from all walks of life. They are the friendliest people you’ll meet anywhere. Most weekends I go dancing and hang out with my good dance friends. At least once a week I go to a line dance class and have the opportunity to socialize with other friends.
I love to review businesses I frequent because I want others to find great places to have fun and experience joy! And because I particularly love country dancing (couples styles & line dancing), I love to provide information and reviews on places to dance.
Finding and reviewing local country dance places as well as those I visit when I’m traveling is a real pleasure. I think it can be difficult to find the right kinds of places when you’re out of town, so I want to help those who share my enthusiasm with my own reviews and information.
Check out my list Boot Scootin’ Orange County, CA for local dance places in Orange County, California:
https://goo.gl/maps/JQz7nTBrgW12
I also love meeting friends for coffee or lunch, going out for dinner with my family and friends, and going to local spas with my daughter. We also like cultural activities and attractions, taking our dog to dog-friendly parks and beaches, and going for walks in beautiful places. I find Google maps reviews incredibly handy when I’m traveling - and I travel a lot! - and I like to help out visitors to my own area who might be looking either for local flavor or a taste of home.
It seems that no matter where I go in the US, I find a home away from home when I can locate a place to dance and listen to country music. I am immediately with family. Recently, I visited Nashville for busiiness. I walked into the Wildhorse Saloon, told the hostess where I was from and where I dance, and she said, “Oh, you need to talk to so-and-so. He just moved here from there and he dances at one of your favorite places!” It turns out we have 55 Facebook friends in common and had never met.
Through my experience in building a new life, I found a new community (and I’m also still friends with my neighbors from the days in the "big house!) I love to help others find and build community, too.