{"id":64,"date":"2012-03-20T03:27:36","date_gmt":"2012-03-20T10:27:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/debbiepetrina.authorsxpress.com\/?p=64"},"modified":"2021-12-29T12:52:25","modified_gmt":"2021-12-29T12:52:25","slug":"i-cant-dance-anymore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debbiepetrina.com\/?p=64","title":{"rendered":"Transition from Grief to Acceptance"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Loss word on a 3d person who stands alone from a group or family, mourning the death of a loved one, feeling heartache, sadness, isolation and grief<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI Can’t Dance Anymore\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

March 12, 2012<\/p>\n

I started dancing when I was three years old, and always loved all types of dancing. My favorite dances though were those of my cultural heritage. My grandparents emigrated from Croatia and Slovenia and so the traditions were instilled in me as early as I can remember.<\/p>\n

One of my greatest achievements was when I was accepted into a professional musical ensemble called the Duquesne University Tamburitzans. The longest running stage production in the United States, authentic music, song and dance portrays many Eastern European and neighboring cultures\u2019 traditions. Affiliated with Duquesne University, as an accepted member I was awarded a scholarship while attending college.\u00a0 See http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LhItCxgX-hg<\/a><\/p>\n

My MS symptoms appeared noticeably when I was twenty-five, though in looking back, I can recall having some balance and coordination issues while I was dancing with the ensemble. My aggressive course of MS left me with the inability to do anything but walk slowly by the time I was twenty-eight; there was no more running, hopping, skipping, or dancing.<\/p>\n

I was devastated. While I was teaching my one-year old son to walk, I was losing my ability to do so.<\/p>\n

I attended a wedding on November 20, 1985. That night, I wrote in my personal journal: \u201cEveryone danced tonight but me. Again. That hurts. I love to dance. I can feel the potential movements in my system that would direct me exactly how I should move, but I can\u2019t do it. I\u2019m so frustrated\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a long time to get through first the anger, and then the sadness and depression. But the brain is a powerful organ, and I worked on my perspective. These were the thoughts I began to think about and focus on:<\/p>\n