What it means to truly dance with the pole.

This past week has been extremely stressful.  Over a week ago, I had to race back home to Chicagoland for a family emergency.  I was told things weren't looking good for my Dad.  I arrived post 3 hour drive five minutes before Dad returned from a procedure with grim news.  I knew from the look on his face that things were about to change.  Dad's heart was in bad shape- he needed a balloon pump placed in his heart and was transferred to ICU where he waited 3 days to have open heart surgery.  On Wednesday February 19, 2014, Dad underwent a roughly six hour surgery.  Seeing your parent in the ICU with a ventilator hooked up to tubes can be a traumatic experience.  I also work as a Registered Nurse and have seen my fair share of people in critical care.  I've never really known someone personally that has gone through the experience so I never really knew what their level of awareness was while I took care of them.  Dad was alert relatively quickly and was using his finger to spell out his requests on the bed.  He has since been released from the hospital and is recovering.

Taking care of the studio and teaching classes while working a full time job as a nurse had to be put off for an entire week.  It was nice to come back to teaching and get back into the daily routine.  I will still be traveling back and forth to help out back home with my family, but during the week I must continue to work and operate my health clinic and maintain the studio.  I think I felt a renewed appreciation this week for dance as I let loose and enjoyed dancing with my students.  It has been a huge stress relief and something I don't think I could give up easily.  As life begins to change- as it always does, we find ways to adapt.  I've had to really think about some major life changes lately and what direction I feel things need to go.  I have been grateful for having the luxury of being able to maintain a relationship with my pole through all of this.  And eternally grateful for a supportive husband. 

Back to the main reason why I'm writing this blog post.  Throughout the past eight months of owning and operating Pole Harmony, I can now say I've had my fair share of ups and downs.  Through all these circumstances, I've danced.  I've had to dig deep at times to find my usual chipper self to present to students who may not know what is going on in my life but I've managed to come through each class feeling rejuvenated and most times, on top of the world.  A student told me the other day in class that she doesn't mind when it's just the two of us in class.  She said, "This is my escape." I have to agree as I am finding peace through Pole Harmony.  The studio is my sanctuary.  Where I feel safe and can dance it out.  Whatever I need to figure out in my life or if I need a pick me up- I dance it out.  As I write this, I stumbled across a recent online forum topic regarding pole dancing and healing.  I can honestly say that pole dancing has been a useful tool for me through healing physically, mentally, and emotionally.  I'm at the point in my life with my dancing where my body craves it.  I crave dancing for myself and I crave dancing and teaching others.  This moment and every moment like it, is what it means to truly dance with the pole.