Friday 11 March

Yesterday was a very busy day

I saw Mary in the morning 

Went to a lunch time meeting

And in the evening 

My mother and I went to a free dance class that was on in the local theatre

I was wrecked tired yesterday 

But I really wanted to go to the dancing 

As its something that I really enjoy

There were two dance classes on back to back 

First was Salsa

And then there was Ceili dancing 

Which is traditional Irish dancing

The class started at  8pm

We arrived on time 

Filled in a form

And took a seat in the room

There was salsa music playing 

And there was quite a few people there

Just then 

The teacher came over to speak to us 

She spoke in Irish 

I can speak a little Irish 

But my Mum is fluent 

The teacher explained that they were speaking Irish as it was Irish speaking week

So the class was to be in Irish!

More and more people filed in

I'd say there was about 30 of us 

And soon the class began 

The teacher was great

She explained things well

And had a lovely way about her

First

We did a wArm up 

Which was great fun

Then on to the dancing proper

We learned  the basic steps 

Then in partners 

One leading 

One following 

We practised our best Salsa 

We changed partners every few minutes 

So we got to dance with a lot of different people 

I really enjoyed it

And my Mum was laughing her head off

So I think it's fair to say that she enjoyed it too

In no time at all

The class was over 

The teacher left on the music so we could continue to practise 

She was going around the room dancing with different people 

Then she came to me

'You're a natural' she said

'So light on your feet'

I told her that I used to dance a lot

I asked her if she was a school teacher

As I got that vibe off her

But she told me that she was a pharmacist 

I thought about how I had been a pharmacist of a kind in another life

I thought it was just a bit ironic 

She asked me what I do

I told her that I was starting work in May 

And that I also write

'Are you a journalist?'she asked 

I said I wasn't 

And explained that I blog and such 

She asked what I write about 

I was kind of caught on the hop

And before I knew it

I was telling her that I am recovering from an eating disorder

And my blog was about the journey to recovery 

I'm still not entirely sure why I decided to share that information 

I kind of felt like I said too much

Given that it was supposed to be an evening of fun

But 

I tend not to hide my conditions

And I think it's good to be open about things 

Especially mental health issues

She seemed really interested in this

And asked me for my blog address

Which I gave her

Will she read it or not?

I don't know 

But she was really kind 

That's why I thought she was a teacher

Because she was gentle

Patient 

And made everyone feel really comfortable 

The Salsa finished up

And it was Ceili time

To say it was organised chaos is probably accurate

There were so many of us

And the Ceili is a fast dance 

So there was much laughing and joking 

And it was all great fun

Half way through 

It was getting late 

So my mum and I decided to call it a night

I hope they will do more classes

As we thoroughly enjoyed it

It was great to get out for an evening 

And meet new people 

Not sit catatonic in front of the TV all night

Of course you know they I love dancing 

I also found out that there is Zumba on every Tuesday night

So I might just venture out to that too

Mum preferred the Irish dancing

But I definitely preferred the Salsa

If given another chance at life 

I would never have given up dancing when I did

I don't believe in having regrets 

But dancing is something that I am  sorry I didn't pursue

We arrived home about 10 30pm

These days that is a late night for me

I'm usually in my pyjamas by 7pm

I was starting to ruminate about what I told the teacher 

And the verbal diarrhoea that seems to pour out of me at random times

I guess I talk and write about my eating disorder so much 

That I forget to maybe hold back a little in some situations

But the teacher last night gave me a positive response 

And seemed genuinely interested in my blog

But it does beg the question

And I am throwing the floor over to you

Do you speak openly about your eating disorder or mental illness?

If not why not?

If yes, why yes?

What sort of a response do you get when you talk about it?

Have you ever had a negative reaction in response?

Inquiring minds want to know....