Hokey Pokey

You put your right foot in…

Dozens of times I’ve sung along, busted those moves. I’ve done the hokey pokey on roller skates, under spinning bedazzled lights. If called upon to do so, though I’ve never tried, I could do it with my eyes closed or in my sleep.

But when I stood, feet planted right in front of this step map of pokey moves, it was like I sprouted two left feet.  I made the moves in the wrong order, couldn’t quite toe into the brass footprint.

hokeypokey
The Hokey Pokey dance steps, as emblazoned into the sidewalk in the North Shore, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

It was entirely unnatural to follow a map for something I already feel in my soul. When it comes to dancing, which I do early and often, dancingeveryday please and thank you, I like to do my own thing.

As I stumbled over the steps, a couple walked up and said, “You should try the one down there! It’s impossible!” 

It was the Mambo.

Nope. Thanks for the invitation, but one dance by numbers was enough for me.


This post is part of Think Kit by SmallBox

Prompt: “Strange Encounter. Share a story about a stranger this year. Was it something you overheard? Someone you accidentally met & bonded with? A funny…or strange!…coincidence?”