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 Random FactsHi, Everyone!
Today I just want to share some random facts. Just for a little fun knowledge.🙂
What random facts did you learn this week? Happy Sunday! Keep dancing forward!  Certificate!Hi, Everyone!
Happy Father's Day! I know I missed posting last weekend. I was busy working on my test. And as of Monday, I received my certification as a Nutrition and Wellness Consultant from the American Fitness Professionals and Associates! Yea! Next up - a few weeks to focus just on dancing. Then, starting on certification in group fitness! It is so interesting to me that this is where my path in life has taken me. I was never an athlete or sports enthusiast. That is until I discovered dance. Now I keep discovering just what I can do and how great it is for life overall! Are there any nutritional topics you would like to see posts on? Just send me a message and let me know! Until next time, have a great week and keep dancing FORWARD!
Hi, Everyone!
There is a lot of turmoil in the world right now. It has many questioning the belief that people are essentially good. I will share an experience this week, that I hope inspires you to be the good you are trying to find in others. I left my dance bag at work one day. I didn’t realize it until I got to the dance studio, so I had to go all the way back to get it (granted, it is only a few miles, so it is just a mild inconvenience). After I grabbed my bag and got back in the car, I decided to take a different route back to dance. On this different route, I saw a lady standing on the corner in a parking lot with a boy about 10-12 years old sitting in the grass. I don’t know what made her stand out to me. Maybe she reminded me of my mother for a moment. She was holding a sign asking for help. She didn’t look like your “typical homeless” person, but I have seen more and more since recent economic issues cause layoffs. Two others were across the street on different corners. This economy is hard. I couldn’t stop right where I was, so I went across the street and turned around. I could have just turned right and gone on my way, but something in me did not. My brain had zeroed in on her. I get back to the parking lot and I see her and her child heading to the car. She tosses the sign in the back of the car with such disgust and despair emanating from her body. I don’t want her to drive away so I toot my horn as I pull up. I get out of the car and her face looks so confused but grateful. She is crying as I hand her all the Christmas cash savings I had in my wallet. We are by a fast food restaurant and I ask, “Do you want to get something to eat?” She hesitates, and does say “yes.” She is not alone. Children and an older man (I assume to be the woman’s father) are in the car. Due to the pandemic restrictions, the restaurant is only open for drive thru. I tell her to order whatever they want and to tell the person I am paying for it behind them. They go through the line and I order the same thing they do to give them a double order. At the window, they have the lady pull forward to wait for the food. I tell the cashier that I am paying for both orders and all the food is to go to that car. The teens/young adults who are running the food, say “ALL the food to that car?” and roll their eyes. All I think is that I really do hope they never have to know what this lady is going through. As they wait for their food, I pull up alongside and say, “I should have asked before, but do you need gas?” The lady hesitates. I know she is thinking “I can’t take more” but she also knows that she needs gas in the car. So, I tell them to pull over to the gas station when they get the food and I will wait there. The man comes out of the car to pump the gas after I put my credit card in. He asks me, “What do you want me to put in it?” He had to ask me twice because I just was not understanding the question. So I said, “Gas.” And they all laughed. He clarified that I had already done so much, how much money to put in. Ohhh….I was totally clueless trying to understand that question. But I told him to fill it. As he is pumping gas, I turn to the lady and say, “I’m Kim, by the way.” She tells me her name and then proceeds to tell me her story. She tells me they should never have been in this situation. She had a good job and money for a place to live - until she was scammed out of $5000. She put the money down to rent a house, but the guy never showed up with the key. Then the property owner showed up and said he had no idea but it was his house and not for rent. She filed the police reports but that didn’t help with immediate needs. She has four children. She and her children lived in the woods for a bit, until her son saw a man stabbed 14 times. She was able to contact family who said they could stay with them. So she packed what they had and started driving. Upon arrival, that offer was taken away. So, she was stranded, with nowhere to go, and not getting a job. She told me, “I didn’t know people could be just so evil. So bad.” I empathized with her. I suggested a couple of places that I had heard were hiring right now and she was going to go right away to apply. I wished them well. And I went back to my car. What was the best thing I hope I did for them that day? It wasn’t the money or the food or the gas. It was the laugh. For a split second, the world was ok. I hope I was able to give her a glimmer of hope, restore her faith in good people are out there. And she did the same for me. I debated sharing this story. I don’t share it because I am seeking credit or accolades or anything. I usually prefer to keep these things quiet. However, with all the negativity going on, people are getting discouraged. People are losing hope in humanity. You can be that hope for someone. Be that hero. You don’t have to give money or things. Just share a smile; give yourself. Be open to allowing others to encourage your life as you encourage them. I wish you a great week! Keep dancing forward!  We Shall OvercomeWhat is justice? What is peace? What is protest? Who is right? Who is wrong? How can we change the world?
These questions are circulating among us today. On December 10, 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had the honor of the Nobel Peace Prize bestowed upon him. Below is a selection from his speech upon accepting the award. I find it just as appropriate today as it was fifty years ago. I, too, believe that “right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant.” I am not going to try to analyze this speech. I will let his words speak on their own. I encourage you to read the entire speech. Visit: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1964/king/26142-martin-luther-king-jr-acceptance-speech-1964/ Selection from Dr. M.L. King, Jr., Acceptance Speech, December 10, 1964 … Therefore, I must ask why this prize is awarded to a movement which is beleaguered and committed to unrelenting struggle; to a movement which has not won the very peace and brotherhood which is the essence of the Nobel Prize. After contemplation, I conclude that this award which I receive on behalf of that movement is a profound recognition that nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time – the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression. Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts. … ...nonviolence is not sterile passivity, but a powerful moral force which makes for social transformation. Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. If this is to be achieved, man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. I accept this award today with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind. I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the “isness” of man’s present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal “oughtness” that forever confronts him. I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsom and jetsom in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events which surround him. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality. I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant. I believe that even amid today’s mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow. I believe that wounded justice, lying prostrate on the blood-flowing streets of our nations, can be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men. I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive good will proclaim the rule of the land. “And the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid.” I still believe that We Shall overcome!  Memorial Day 2020Hi, Everyone!
I forgot that it was Sunday and almost didn't think to write! As you do your best to keep dancing forward through life right now, take a moment tomorrow and pause to remember those who have sacrificed their lives so that you are able to keep dancing on. While the saying goes, "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for a friend," think about those who lay down their lives for people they don't even know. We all touch others' lives without ever knowing it. It is good to recognize that others have touched your life and they don't know it. Remember those who have been lost in service, and remember those who did love them. Each one was part of a community, a family and remain a valuable piece of their hearts. Have a safe Memorial Day weekend.  I have recently noticed how often the sentence, "I am a dancer," comes up in conversation.
Often it is a response to the "occupation" line on the form at a doctor's office. Somehow what started as my friend wanting me to try something new with her has turned into who I am. Dance is something I do. Dance is also a big part of my identity. Dance has made me stronger in body and mind. Dance has made me more sociable. Dance has provided me an ever-evolving perspective and insight into people and the way the world works. People have their own unique culture, language/way of speaking, dreams, hopes, desires. They also have fears, burdens, sadness and darkness. The interesting thing is dance is universal. It is our human way to express those feelings and thoughts. We can tell a story without speaking the same verbal language. Dance can bring us together. And we certainly could all use that right now. Have a great week! Keep dancing forward!  Dancing into Better Mental HealthDancing is more than a physical activity. It is more than performance.
It is a way to improve mental and emotional health. When I started my journey into dance, I had no idea the impact that it would have on me. Physical effects are obvious. The mental effects are immeasurable! Dance challenges me. I describe the feeling when I first started dancing as if I could feel the neurons in my brain creating new paths. So many different areas of the mind are engaged to dance. Dance itself is a challenge to improve yourself - to improve who you are as a person. Dance is an expression of self. It can be an escape from stress, an expression of sadness or joy, and a medium through which to process the wide range of human thoughts. May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. Particularly with our recent world-changes due to COVID-19, many are struggling with mental health issues. Some are experiencing deeper stress, anxiety and depression than they have before. Others are feeling the “extra” on top of their daily struggles. Dance does not “fix” my mental illnesses. But it does give me a way to grow, to manage them, and to move through and keep going. I hope you are finding ways to handle the stress of the world. You can always dance anywhere! No skill is required! Just allow your soul to emanate from your body. That is dance. Keep dancing forward!
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AuthorKimberly Capracotta - Archives
May 2020
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