It’s a known fact that the kitchen can be a home’s focal point. Whether it’s a sweet Brooklyn apartment, a college dorm, a beach cottage, studio loft, or your grandmother’s house, the kitchen is a gathering place of love and comfort no matter what kind of house you have. It’s where memories are formed and worries fall off your shoulders. And the kitchen isn’t just for meals. It’s for long talks, board games, a cocktail, a cup of hot tea, or just doing… nothing.
My favorite places are the outdoors and a kitchen. Combine the 2—an outdoor kitchen—and it’s a dream. They’re my tops. So it should come as no surprise that dancing happens… in the kitchen! Sometimes it’s with the Scottish Terriers. Other times it’s with Mark when he walks in the door and I’m making something deeelicious. He usually wants to fall into the easy chair after a hard day’s work, but I’ve got a playlist going on Pandora so we have to oblige! And the boyz (our sons) are always the most fun to dance with because they have much better playlists than me. 🙂
Dancing can happen anywhere. Watching children dance so free and uninhibited is my absolute favorite. Dancing makes people happy. I have this memory from years ago of a field trip I took with Doug’s kindergarten class to a Mexican restaurant. The air was deliciously fragrant from the fresh tortillas rolling off the machine, and a mariachi band was playing. All of a sudden, the kids got up on the dance floor and freely broke into spontaneous dance. It was just so uninhibited and natural. A perfect day!
For me, my least favorite places to dance are public venues. But I’ll be a good sport if there’s a live band. It’s such good exercise. You don’t even know you’ve put in a full workout. Plus, whatever is ailing you just slips away.
Kitchen dancing, hiking anywhere, and free weights in my home are part of my super simple Jet Rocket workout routine—and my first choice when it comes to exercise.
(I asked around for recommendations for my Kitchen Dancing Playlist and I received so many awesome ones. The list is growing and super fun. The winner was Tighten Up by Archie Bell and the Drells Pt. 1—LP Version. Honestly… they’re all winners!)