29/07/2023
Since this amazing group of friends already made me cry tonight, I'll go ahead and share this now.
I became a Zumba® Instructor because I am a perfectionist, and I liked Zumba®, and I wanted to know all that I could about it. I never imagined I would ever teach a class.
At some point, when I was thinking maybe, just maybe, I could teach... I saw a post from Mama P Prisca Denton about an opening to teach at Bees Landing Rec Center. I reached out, without ever telling a soul. I didn't even tell Prisca. If I was going to get a job teaching it was going to be on my own merits. I wanted to do this on my own.
I never imagined all these years later I would still be starting my Saturday mornings at Bees Landing. I didn't know how many people I would introduce to Zumba®, how many people would make my class a regular part of their weekend, how many people would find me for a class, for a time, for a season, or who would still be with me all these years later. I never imagined the opportunities I would have, the number of classes I would end up teaching, the number of times I would leave people in disbelief when I told them that once, a very long time ago, and in a lifetime that feels far away, I never left my house, and suffered from social anxiety, and didn't speak to people, and never, ever would have been in a Zumba class, much less the instructor leading the class.
And I never knew I would find and connect with people who would become some of my very dearest friends, people I can't imagine not having in my life now!
I set out to inspire people, but you never really know the impact you have. In this past week I have felt it, and tonight I could see it, and I've been so truly blessed to know each and every person who has ever danced with me. Thank you for letting me share my passion, and my love, and my story. You have all been witnesses to and important parts of my journey so far.
This isn't goodbye, it's see you later, and I carry every one of you with me in my heart as my family embarks on our next chapter!
