Old Friends

Ok, so ever since I was two, I have been enrolled in dance classes. My mom taught class and so when I was old enough to walk, I joined. I loved it from day one and so I kept it up, even after my mom stopped teaching. I went on to a ballet studio that was pretty formal, where I learned classical ballet till I was about 14. I ended up leaving the studio for a number of reasons… mostly because even thought I weighed 120 lbs, I was too fat to get in the company. (The movie “Center Stage” is cruelly accurate) Anyways, While I was attending this studio, I also would go to classes on Saturdays taught by Rikki, who I consider my mentor when it comes to dancing. It was there that I met two of the best friends I have ever had. Alison and Cristina. For a whole summer we were inseperable. We took a summer workshop together, as well as did a show together. (Peter Pan…. Timber!) We would go from 7 in the morning… take class till lunch break with everyone else, and then Rikki would give us our own class during our lunch break. Then we would take the second half of the classes with everyone else, and then we would go to the theater where we were doing Peter Pan. We would have about an hour and a half till call time, so Rikki would give us another class. Then we would have rehearsal till midnight, and we would go home till the next day, when we would do it all over again. It was the best summer in my whole life. Rikki called Alison and Cristina and I the Three Musketeers. Soon after that summer, Cristina moved to the other side of the country, and we didn’t get to see her very much, while we did stay in contact. Then Alison moved to Colorado, and that basically sucked. When Cristina went to college, we lost touch, and I still havn’t been able to find her. (Are you out there Cristina?) Alison and I, on the other hand, are still able to talk. Thank God for AIM. Anyways, we were able to spend the whole summer together because she took a road trip out here to Cali, and it was wonderful!

It was times like this summer when I realized that in my life I have made choices as to who I would be, and who I would be with. I let the guys I was dating at the time come between me and my friends and my desires to dance. I don’t dance as much as I used to, and I regret that. I didn’t get to spend as much time with the people that really mattered, and now that I realize that fact, they are far away. I wish that I could go back in time with the knowledge that I have gained. I guess it goes back to the age old lesson: “You don’t know what you got ’till it’s gone.”

Alison… I wish I would have spent more time with you while you were here, and I feel like there are years of my life that are missing because I didn’t. I hope that in the future we will be able to make up for lost time. And you can come live with me in Cali! 🙂

Cristina… I don’t know where you are. I wish I did. I hope that you are happy in life, in your career, hopefully as a dancer. I wish we could have kept in better touch. When I think of you I smile.

All in all, I think that the main lessen is don’t let anyone else be the deciding factor in making decisions that effect your life. Do the thing that will make you happy. Otherwise you may end up wishing that you still had friendships that you had which you might have otherwise kept.