Learning to Hula Hoop

There were a lot of moments that struck me over the weekend.

But there was one in particular.

This one.

We all spotted her as she shopped.  She tried on clothes and shoes and looked at knick knacks.

But all the while she kept the hula hoop on her arm.  It was hers and she wasn't going to let it go.

As she came up front to pay for her finds, she ran into a friend.  Her friend was thrilled to see that she had found a hula hoop, evidently knowing she had wanted one for some time.

After she paid up, she asked how one did the hula hoop, anyway.  After a few tips from the crowd, she gave it a shot.

As she swung her hips, the hula hoop quickly fell down her body.  She laughed.  We laughed.  She tried.  She failed.

And quite frankly, she looked kind of silly trying.  Really, who doesn't look silly doing the hula hoop after age 8?

But I found myself admiring the heck out of her.  Here she stood in front of a group of women half her age, complete strangers, strangers with cameras and smart phones, and she was tackling something new.  No it was neither pretty nor graceful.  It didn't come easily.  But she was trying it.  She didn't care.  And she was laughing at herself along the way.

She didn't care if she couldn't hula hoop to save her life.

She didn't let fear or embarrassment get in the way.

She was there, trying something new and loving every second of it.

In that simple moment I stopped and was in awe of how willing she was to try.  To fail.  To laugh.

I hope the next time some new challenge catches my eye that I remember the hula hoop lady.  And that I am willing to pick up whatever proverbial hula hoop may be in front of me and give it a twirl.


The wonderful photos in this post were taken, with permission by the hula-hooper, by my friends Trish and Darcie.