if you know anything about irish dancing you know that the leap two three is the way to get from here to there — with the panache of a leg kicking straight out to a 90 degree angle, then a sharp bend of the knee to tuck down under oneself to shift weight between the balls of your feet, all tightly and quickly executed in a parallel position that repeats on the other side. this maneuver is the real meaning of “action step” as it allows the dancer to fly from one side of the stage to another in a very short measure of time.

my version of getting to ireland?..was more kicking and screaming in angst of — well i don’t know what exactly — fear? exhaustion? overwhelm from the list of to do’s before departing for who knows how long? certainly there was obsession about packing the right rain gear — which meant procuring the right rain gear — a story all of its own — and and and well — i can certainly overthink myself into a state of immobility — the exact opposite of the intent of the leap two three. i, who can organize most everyone and everything, am at quite a loss when it comes to myself. were it not for my youngest daughter who was tasked to “stage manage mom” — i might never have made it. the role reversal of my tears and tantrums to her steady calm support of the space in which to go nuts was not lost on either of us. being that care giver can be exhausting — so she brought in reinforcement of her sister — between the two of them they drove me to an airport two and half hours away from home (yes, the ticket was that much cheaper that way) and got me on the plane with only two bags that amazingly were under the weight limit.

in those bags i have three pairs of shoes, all of which serve different functions, all have been heavily doused with waterproofing spray because they say it rains a lot there — and all of them with the same shared purpose to get me to take the first step, then the next — continuing the putting of one foot in front of the other until finally i leap two three out the door and into the oblivion of what will be the next several weeks — or several months — of my life. who knows what’s in store… this is me leaping, loving and learning…and promising to make time to write it all down. welcome to my journey.