Dear Friends,
I'm not going to lie. This "Rona" virus, as the kids call it, is getting out of hand. The fact is, it is spreading, and yes, it is scary! I don't like reading the news, but I can't help reading the news. And at first, it's just news. And numbers. And statistics. And then... I have a moment when I pause to remember that ONE number, ONE death, is ONE person that is no longer around and that person's poor family... I cannot, CANNOT imagine. When I have THOSE moments, I am truly devastated reading the news.
My birthday wish this year? GO AWAY CORONAVIRUS.
I wish it was that easy. But I know it's not. So my second wish is that YOU and your loved ones will stay safe and healthy. The nice part about being married to a physician is that my husband is very level-headed and calm, and we just have to try to keep on living our normal lives knowing the FACTS, versus being paranoid and frantic.
The fact is, coronavirus is high-risk mainly for the elderly population or those with pre-existing conditions. The fact is, it is spread from direct contact to your eyes, nose and mouth. The fact is, we can do things to help prevent spreading coronavirus:
- If you are sick or have a cough/sneeze, please stay home and away from crowds until you are better.
- When you do accidentally cough/sneeze, use the crook of your elbow or a tissue and wash your hands immediately afterwards.
- Wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds, or you can do what my girls do and sing the "Happy Birthday" song while washing.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Sanitize and use disinfectant wipes when touching things like shopping cart handles.
Now for the dreaded question.....
Are we still dancing?
YES! YES!!! We are still dancing! Songs with high-fives and hand to hand contact have been intentionally removed, and now we are limiting interaction except for the socially appropriate elbow pumps and maybe we will test out some foot taps. =) This past week, we did not see a decrease in attendance at dance classes. Then again, my dance classes are fortunately located in an unaffected county and we might be living in a little bubble compared to the rest of the world. I don't know. But I am showing up. And many others are showing up too. Just please don't come if you are sick. Thank you.
At this point, the Dance-A-THON on March 28th in San Francisco is ON.
It got worse, and we are officially postponing the event until Fall - stay tuned!
I will keep you updated if situations worsen in the Bay Area, but I am planning on dancing the night away. My final birthday wish is that I hope you still plan on joining me. Of course, do what makes you most comfortable and I will understand.
Growing up, I have fond memories of singing Karaoke oldies with my dad all the time. I loved it. He loved it. Gosh, I wish I could sing again, but ever since I started teaching more dance/fitness/yoga 6 years ago, I grew a throat nodule and it's given me an on and off raspy voice, plus taken away all of my singing abilities. I can hear the pitch, but I just can't sing it out.
One of the songs that we sang often was, "Que Sera, Sera," which translates perfectly to, "Whatever will be, will be."
Music lives in me. In my heart. In my soul. And maybe I can't sing anymore, but I can feel the music, and I express it through dance. I hope I will see you in class this week. Or at the Dance-a-thon in 3 weeks. Or maybe YouTube will be how we dance together over the next few weeks while the world fights and heals from the coronavirus.
In the meantime, stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay grateful. Stay joyful. Que sera, sera.
Love,
Grace
