Move Questions – F.riday 5 for August 3, 2012

I decided to play word (or in this case, title) association with this week’s list so what follows is the very first thing that came to mind when considering each question.

1.       Shall We Dance?

 This question takes me back to 7^th and 8^th grade when I was in cotillion. Yes, you read that right. A cotillion in Virginia in the late 80’s. Seems kind of archaic, huh? The point of it was to use ballroom dancing to teach boys and girls etiquette, social graces and respect for each other. Our teacher was two days older than dirt and we learned classical ballroom dancing to music such as Madonna and Michael Jackson. We were all at that awkward stage where we didn’t know how to relate to ourselves, much less the opposite sex, and I spent many evenings just hanging out in the bathroom to get away from the boys I didn’t want to dance with and the girls I didn’t want to be friends with  – now that I think about it, that kind of defeated the purpose of the group in the first place. In retrospect, I think it was a good way to reinforce the manners I was learning at home, and it was fun to dress up in fancy pseudo-prom clothes once a year and take over the middle school gym for a few hours on a weekend. Back then, though, it was more than a little awkward , but I hope it’s still going on today. Society could certainly use more teenagers who treat each other with civility, don’t you think? 

2.       O Brother, Where Art Thou?

 This is an interesting question considering my impending 38^th birthday on Sunday. It makes me think of how my thirties have been different from my twenties, and if I’m going to freak out turning 40 (30 was a huge freak out, completely massive and it lasted at least a year).  My early twenties taught me how to deal with loss and I was on a search to define my career and, ultimately, myself.  Turning 30 freaked me out because I hadn’t established myself in that regard and I felt like I was drifting. Eight years into this decade, I’ve gotten my career established and the last age related hurdle has been children. When I was in my early thirties, my husband and I were faced with unexplainable infertility. The last three years we’ve tried every IVF procedure known and have failed eight times. I think I’m glad I faced this in my 30’s – I’m not sure I’d have had the appropriate maturity to handle something this life-altering when I was a newlywed and just starting out life on my own. Right now I’m not so sure 40 will freak me out too much, but ask me this question two years from now, and we’ll see how my answer has changed.

3.       What’s Up Doc?

 So far this year, the worst of my health issues have been related to my teeth, but in a roundabout way. My sinuses have made my teeth incredibly sensitive and after I had an old filling replaced, the pain kicked in. I actually went back to the dentist to have him adjust my filling and when he took an xray, my sinuses showed up as a white pocket over the root of my tooth that was hurting. Fortunately that’s been the worst of it but I did have to go to the doctor just before my vacation. I had been having pain behind my ear for a few days and given how nasty my sinuses are and how much they can screw up my ears, I went to the doctor thinking I had an ear infection (I came home from Christmas with one and couldn’t hear well for a week or more).  Much to my surprise my ears were fine – it was my shoulder that was messed up.  My doctor poked and prodded and realized that I was having a spasm in my trapezius, the sail shaped muscle that runs down your neck and across your shoulder. He had me raise my arm and when he put his hand on my shoulder, he said he could feel  the spasm. I had a pinched nerve in that shoulder years ago so I’m not surprised I wrenched it, but who knew your shoulder and ear are connected?

4.       What’s Your Number?

For some reason this makes me immediately think of the number 13 and how bad the 13^th of any month usually is for me. I know it’s what psychiatrists call a self-fulfilling prophecy – you think bad things will happen and they do because you psych yourself into a bad day. If that’s really the case though, how is it that when I don’t even realize it’s the 13^th I still have a rotten,  no-good , very bad day?

5.       Have You Heard About the Morgans?

 No, why, should I have? Are they stalking me? WHAT’S GOING ON?!?!?!?!!??!