Farewell to Bellydance

I recently retired from bellydance. I became burned out. I'd been involved with it since 1998. I met some great women (and men) in bellydance. But, it was time for a change. Even so, any great change or loss in our lives does bring some grieving and sadness. In time, I know this will change.

Despite the sadness, however, I feel freedom in letting go of something that for years I held on to even when I realized I was becoming more and more tired and that the joy of dancing was ebbing. While I do feel "free" I do regret letting go to the extent that I won't be as involved with the lives of some of the women I was teaching as before. That part makes me sad.

I've had some great hobbies in the past that I was very passionate about at different times in my personal growth: once it was music (I played flute), then getting my college undergrad degree, then bellydance, and finishing my master's.


But now it's on to something else. For years I told myself, "If I ever quit bellydance I'll . . .". My list looks something like this:

"Things I've Always Wanted to Do"
1. Develop my drawing abilities.
2. Learn to sew.
3. Return to musical endeavors (flute)?
4. Learn to hula hoop for big people!
5. Learn to rollerblade
6. Develop my writing abilities.
7. Work on becoming a personal trainer for women in their midlife.
8. Sky dive (at least once before I'm 60...I have a while for this one!)

So, while I'll remain active physically, I may devote a few years to some of the above. I'm sure out of this list, or maybe even from something totally unrelated, I'll find my next passion.

In the meantime, I'm just gonna rest a while.....yeah, right!