Mal'achit

Before my injury, I didn't consistently avoid Israeli folk dance sessions that are popular enough to be notoriously overcrowded. I didn't avoid modern wooden dance floors, preferring to dance on older wood floors (such as that at Haim's session) or carpeted ones, such as the nice-sized patch at the entrance to Rennert Hall at the Kraft Center, where Ruth Goodman's Monday night Israeli folk dance session takes place. And I certainly didn't wear removable wrist splints as a precaution.

But there I was at the Kraft Center last night, all decked out in my wrist splints, when Ruth and company started playing the dance "Mal'achit." At first, I took a seat, figuring that I would just sit that one out. And then I said to myself, "Oh, why not? I'm wearing my splints, and there's enough room for me to dance on the carpet. I'll dance carefully, with baby-steps and no jumps, and I'll cut the spin-turns. But I want to try to relearn it."

Yes, Virginia, "Mal'achit" is the dance that I was trying to learn when I fell and broke both wrists almost exactly six months ago.

But it's a good dance.

And, baruch HaShem (thank G-d), I'm still a dancer.