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It may have been because of her third consecutive meal of waffles. It may have been the many hours of swing dancing we’d just completed. It may have been that it was one o’clock in the morning. But whatever the reason, my friend Cathrine shared with our rambunctious late-night breakfasting group her New Year’s Eve trauma on the dance floor.
From my own late-night stupor, here’s what I remember: Cathrine got all dressed up fancy-like, floor-length gown – the whole bit – and bought herself a ticket to a classy soiree. Said soiree was in a classy joint somewhere in Washington, DC, and a ticket bought you access to a plethora of themed dance rooms, all with open bars. The only two rooms I recall her mentioning were the Great Gatsby & the Russian Disco.
Cathrine said all night long she really wanted to get to the Gatsby room, but never made because she kept getting
“stuck in the vortex of the Russian Disco!”
I wasn’t there, so I can only speculate, but it may have been one too many vodkas, Cathrine?
In any case, I haven’t been able to get that awesome line of dialogue out of my head in all the days that have passed since our night of fun (and waffles).
And I’m thinking that everyone is excited about the new year. New goals. New opportunities.
My daughter came home from school today laughing about how many more people were at the gym during her PE class this morning. I consciously avoid the gym during the month of January because it always feels so crowded, but then it thins out again by February. I wonder how many restaurants serve salads during the month of January, when their clientele rarely order one any of the other eleven months of the year.
The point is this: I think we’ve all got personal vortexes from which we find it difficult or impossible to escape.
It’s a sad day when you find out that it’s not accident or time or fortune, but just yourself that kept things from you. – Lillian Hellman
Whether it’s a new goal we’ve set, knowing we’re probably not going to keep it top of mind, and therefore, a year from now we’ll recommit, or simply set a new and different goal entirely. Or habits that have kept us spinning for a long time already. Perhaps our vortex is a relationship that isn’t getting us anywhere: it’s not bad, but it’s not good, either. Maybe the vortex is idling away our time and not accomplishing anything beyond what is required of us. Or the vortex could be in the not doing. What are we not doing that a year or ten from now we will regret? Is there a skill you’ve been meaning to master? A class you’ve wanted to take? A language you’ve always wanted to learn? A stamp you want to put in your passport? A friend you wish you could see? An organization you think you should support with either your time, talents or checkbook? A trail you’ve never walked? A book you’ve yet to read?
One of my favorite quotes is framed in my office as a daily reminder:
Do one thing every day that scares you. – Eleanor Roosevelt
And why not? So with mega props to Cathrine for the best line yet of 2013 (and to everyone else who consumed copious amounts of breakfast food, especially Bobby [that’s another story altogether]) let’s all agree to:
- Identify our own personal Russian Disco Vortex
- Get out
- Come back and tell us about it here!
