After the kids were in bed, G came into the den and found me standing in the middle of the floor, watching “Godzilla” and writhing about.
“WHAT are you doing?”
I continued to flap my arms from side to side and wriggle my hips to the song inside my head. I squatted…rhythmically.
“I’m dancing.”
He kept walking.
Honestly, this is what February has reduced me to. Actin’ a fool is the only solution I have left to escape the depressive gloom that has been sitting on my chest for a month. So I have been actin’ a fool all day.
I have Bruno Mars to thank. While driving in to work in the pouring rain, already feeling like I had done everything wrong before 9 a.m., “Uptown Funk” came on the radio. I turned it up a tad then thought, “Fuck it, why not?” and turned it up so loud that my eyes were throbbing. I sang as loud and flat as I could, because nothing makes me giggle like singing loud and flat. Flat is FUNNY. (Take a second…try it…try singing “Blue Moon” like a foghorn) I danced in my seat, even at four-way stops where other people could see me. I tickled myself and it felt so so good to laugh at my own silliness.
Acting a fool is different from cutting up, showing out, showing up, showing your ass, turning up, etc. I act a fool intentionally. I act a fool when the limits of reason have been reached and I need to jumpstart myself. I’m working on a couple of big creative things and find myself shutting down in the face of all that fear of failure.
I wore a garishly colored velvet scarf today with six inches of fringe. I bought myself an evil eye charm for my bracelet. I said “yes” to the lunch invite when I really wanted to curl up in a ball under my desk. I made jokes about holding a coworker’s taco. I danced like Elaine Bennis every time I passed Nicole’s office on the way to the kitchen for water. I squatted down by the road to take a picture of some daffodils in the rain. I changed my Pandora station from 10,000 Maniacs to Missy Elliott. I wiggled. I bought flowers for myself. I played with Carlos for half an hour instead of starting dinner. I watched Godzilla, for godsakes.
And I danced in the den to a song in my head. All too many pounds of me, shaking it like my rent was due. Instead of cleaning milk out of the carpet, or walking on the treadmill, or filling out those forms for the developmental pediatrician, or writing the RSVP (I’m coming to the wedding, Mandy!), or paying the $401 gas bill, or doing the taxes, or writing a better post than this, or working on that talk I’m doing at Missouri State in a few weeks, or finishing that quilt I started when I was pregnant with Vivi, or getting all those socks matched up once and for all, or writing a thank you note (I love the painting, Little Gay!), or cleaning out the freezer, or plucking these Sasquatch brows, or making plans for spring break next week, or planning our meals for the week, or or or or.
I danced. And I felt some better.
Don’t believe me? Just watch.
you are clearly on your way to fame and need to hire me as your personal assistant (wife)!
You would be my TROPHY wife!
I can relate !!
Time to shake it, Angela!
Oh, this gave me a MUCH needed morning smile! Thank you, and keep actin’ a fool!!
I will save you a seat on the Fool Bus!
“…shaking it like my rent was due.”
Hilarious! And also the way that I dance sometimes 🙂
And the rent is too damn high!
The only ‘heaping on’ that is allowed is on the plate at Thanksgiving, NOT our internal, never ending To-Do list (also known as our guilt list). Throw the socks away, box the quilt for Vivi to finish when she is grown and pregnant, grow bangs to cover the brows and DANCE ON.
hahahahaha!!! I love these ideas!
Ash, this is totally what I needed today. Today is one of those days that is exceptionally hard for me to handle. It’s the anniversary of the day my dad was murdered. It’s been 9 years. I honestly dread the month of March since his birthday also happens to fall in this month. Thank you for being so amazing. Your posts always tug on my heart strings usually for several reasons with each post. You remind me a lot of my mama & this post was totally up my alley. I think I might take a page from your book and do this when I get home from work today because mama I love that song!! lol 🙂 Keep on dancing to the songs in your head. Stay blessed.
-Kass
Hugs to you, Kass! February and March are tough months for me with those sad anniversaries, so I totally hear where you’re coming from. I’ve been feeling played out as a writer, so your words of encouragement and appreciation mean so much to me! Thank you thank you thank you. Now go make a dragon wanna retire, girl!
That last line killed me! Bahahahaha!
I, too, cheer myself up with lots of Missy Elliott, and even more actin a fool. Works every time!
Get on it, Robin!
This February $&&&& gotta go! Can’t think of a better way to shake off the doldrums. Bet you was ‘smooth as a fresh jar a’skippy”