Sitting with Uncomfortable Biases

This blog supports all kinds of bodies finding joy doing fitness activities. I like to think I do too. But recently I have realized that being truly welcoming to everyone is harder than I thought.

I take a jazz class every week. It’s a small group, and none of us are particularly good. This year there only four of us. Two have some sort of intellectual disability (they both compete in the Special Olympics and I recognize one from the Dragonfly program that the dance school runs for people with Down Syndrome).

This slows down the class as it takes longer for our teacher to explain the steps. I can feel myself getting impatient. The fact that I’m only doing the class for fun makes no difference to my competitive perfectionist self.

I’m working to shift my perspective. I love this class and my teacher. I’ll never feel the pure unadulterated joy of my two classmates because I’m just too self-conscious and worried about getting everything right.

But I can try. And I can practice being a little more patient while I’m at it.