On this chilly Wednesday morning, I was thinking to myself about how I was too sleepy and not ready for our class’ Zumba party with the elders at the Bayside Community Center. However, this experience ended up being my favorite memory of 2019 so far. Right when our Zumba instructor Linda turned on the music, we started laughing at our inability to keep up with the older ladies. The “elders” (who did not look very old at all) stepped to the beat and danced as if they choreographed the routine. Watching them blew my mind because I struggled to coordinate my hand and leg movements at times. Although I didn’t have the most graceful moves, it felt absolutely amazing to forget about all my responsibilities for 30 minutes and just enjoy the beat and laugh with my classmates and these ladies that we’ve never met before.
After the Zumba session, a few others and I got the chance to talk to Susanna, a 45-year-old mom of four who was also there for the first time! Living as a housewife for 20 years and going, Susanna is flooded with housework every day. However, she was telling us how she’s starting to dedicate more time to herself, whether that’s taking a Zumba class like today, or going on a walk with her cute dog. I felt like a proud mom hearing her say that because I also recently realized the importance of self-care and want others to prioritize it too. Talking to Susanna made me think about all the stages of life that we go through. I’m not at her stage yet, so it was eye-opening to take a glimpse into someone else’s life. Even so, at the end of the day, we all need our “me time” to decompress from all that life throws at us.
After the Zumba session, a few others and I got the chance to talk to Susanna, a 45-year-old mom of four who was also there for the first time! Living as a housewife for 20 years and going, Susanna is flooded with housework every day. However, she was telling us how she’s starting to dedicate more time to herself, whether that’s taking a Zumba class like today, or going on a walk with her cute dog. I felt like a proud mom hearing her say that because I also recently realized the importance of self-care and want others to prioritize it too. Talking to Susanna made me think about all the stages of life that we go through. I’m not at her stage yet, so it was eye-opening to take a glimpse into someone else’s life. Even so, at the end of the day, we all need our “me time” to decompress from all that life throws at us.