Home Away from Home

Dancing was always so much more than just a hobby for me.  It was a passion.  I loved everything about it:  the attire, the art, the technique, the practices, the performances….everything!  Because of this, I adored being at the dance studio.  Although I had to be there many hours a week for classes, I would often find myself hanging out there even when I didn’t have to.  Honestly, I probably spent more time there than in my own home.  It was literally my “home away from home”.

When I graduated, I knew I would miss dance, but I never thought about actually missing the studio itself.  After all…it’s just a building right?  I soon realized that it was so much more than a building to me…it was home and I missed it dearly.

Although I have stopped in for several visits since I left, I haven’t gotten to spend any real time there…that is until this week.

I know how crazy it is at the studio around recital time so I promised that I would come help out while I was home.  As soon as I walked in on Monday evening, it took me back to 7 years ago….I was home.

The glistening competition trophies in the entryway that we had worked so hard for, the soothing lavender walls covered in the same images I had admired as a child, the sound of music and “5,6,7,8” wafting through the doors of the classrooms, and little ballerinas spinning around in the lobby….it was like I had never left.

Even though I had only planned on going for a couple of days, I ended up spending every afternoon there.  Every day I would arrive at 2:30, pull into the same parking spot that I always parked in from the time I was 16, walk right in, get to work, and stay until they closed up at 8:00.  I spent hours answering phone calls, dealing with parents, sorting and handing out pictures, programs, and t-shirts, and even critiquing some dances.  I was exhausted every night, but honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Because, well, I was home.  Is it sad that I already miss that place terribly?