Friday afternoon. the YMCA was packed. At 48, I felt out of place in the sea of twentysomethings working out. I had no intention of joining them. I couldn\u2019t remember the last time I exercised! I was only here to cancel my younger son\u2019s membership.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s off to college next month, so he won\u2019t be around,\u201d I told the trainer at the front desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me get the paperwork for you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t sure I was ready for my husband, Thomas, and me to have an empty nest. After 25 years of marriage, we still adored each other, yet our lives had revolved around our two sons for so long that the sparks that once flew between us were just embers now.<\/p>\n
Besides, when we weren\u2019t working\u2014I was a college professor, Thomas was the director of the research institute at the state health department\u2014we were busy helping my mother, who was recovering from a stroke, or visiting Thomas\u2019s father at the veterans\u2019 care center with his mother.<\/p>\n
Honestly, we could\u2019ve used some stress relief. Like exercise, which was what we\u2019d bonded over when we met in grad school. I had run track in high school, Thomas played basketball, and our dates usually involved getting moving together.<\/p>\n
Long walks. Bike rides. Dancing. We could always liven up the dance floor, get any party started.<\/p>\n
Even after we married and our boys came along, Thomas and I carved out time to stay fit together. Then, two years ago, Thomas tore up his knee playing basketball. Ever since, we\u2019d both taken it easy on exercise…too easy.<\/p>\n
We weren\u2019t into fast food (I\u2019m a vegetarian, and Thomas doesn\u2019t eat red meat), but we\u2019d have big portions or go for an all-you-can-eat brunch after church. And sweets! After a long week, we\u2019d sink into the couch Friday night\u2014and into a tub of ice cream.<\/p>\n
No wonder we\u2019d both started to look like the couch. My cholesterol shot up and I needed medication. Thomas had high blood pressure. I knew we needed to make a change, but how?<\/p>\n
The Y\u2019s schedule caught my eye. Zumba at 6:00 p.m., Zumba at 8:00 p.m., it read. \u201cWhat is Zumba?\u201d I asked the trainer when she returned with the forms.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a high-energy dance-and-fitness class,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of fun. Check it out!\u201d She pointed to a class where a dozen women swayed in unison to a samba. It\u2019s been a long time since I moved like that, <\/em>I thought.<\/p>\n \u201cBeginner\u2019s Zumba is tomorrow afternoon,\u201d she said. \u201cYou should come.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll think about it,\u201d I said. I did, the whole drive home.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile I was at the Y, I saw this thing called Zumba,\u201d I told Thomas. \u201cIt\u2019s a mix of dancing and cardio. There\u2019s a class tomorrow. Want to come with me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cZumba? Isn\u2019t that for ladies?\u201d<\/p>\n The class I\u2019d peeked in on was all women, but I wasn\u2019t about to tell him that. \u201cRemember the fun we used to have dancing at weddings?\u201d<\/p>\n Thomas shrugged. \u201cGyms aren\u2019t my thing,\u201d he said. \u201cDon\u2019t worry about me, sweetie. I got this.\u201d What he had <\/em>was a can of salted peanuts. He popped the top. End of discussion.<\/p>\n Fine. I went to the beginner\u2019s Zumba class by myself the next day, almost as if a little voice whispered that I\u2019d be sorry if I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cReady to Zumba?\u201d the instructor shouted over a catchy Latin beat. \u201cFive, six, arms up and kick!\u201d I mimicked her moves. My knees cracked. My calves burned. I breathed hard. But after the first song, I got into a groove.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our empty-nest blues, our health, our parents\u2014all my worries fell away in a rush of Zumba energy. It was like a door into a whole new part of my life.<\/p>\n Zumba gave me something to focus on after the boys left for college. In a month, I dropped 10 pounds. I showed off some of the moves for Thomas one Saturday night. Maybe I could entice him into doing Zumba with me. \u201cYou look great,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s not for me.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s when my next move came to me: prayer. All my prayers had been focused on our boys and our parents. Somehow I hadn\u2019t prayed for us. Lord, you\u2019ve given me the chance to get healthy, to feel great. I want that for Thomas too. I want us to grow old together. Help me to get him moving again.<\/em><\/p>\n Eight months later, I was at Zumba, totally in the zone. As I kicked my left leg, I noticed a pair of men\u2019s dress shoes in the doorway. They looked familiar. I glanced up. I know those khakis, <\/em>I thought. And that oxford shirt.<\/em><\/p>\n There was Thomas, in work clothes. Had something happened to one of our parents? I relaxed when I saw his foot tapping to the beat. Why was he here?<\/p>\n \u201cCome join us!\u201d the instructor called. Thomas shook his head. I felt his gaze on me. Our eyes met. He gave me a slow smile. I smiled back, my cheeks flushing. Fifteen minutes later, he waved and left. \u201cI wish my husband looked at me like that,\u201d one of the ladies said to me.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was good to see you,\u201d I told Thomas later.<\/p>\n \u201cI just wanted to see what Zumba was all about,\u201d he said, his tone nonchalant. I didn\u2019t push.<\/p>\n Thomas showed up at my next class. The following one too. Each time, he watched from the sidelines. I have to admit, his admiring gaze made me put extra zing in my moves. Sometimes I felt like I was dancing just for him.<\/p>\n The class after that, I looked to the doorway. No Thomas. The music started and there was a tap on my shoulder.<\/p>\n Thomas…in workout clothes!<\/p>\n I threw my arms around him. Everyone applauded.<\/p>\n From all that watching, Thomas knew the routines. He didn\u2019t miss a step, showing off his silky smooth moves. The ladies were impressed. Me most of all.<\/p>\n Back home, though, I played it cool. I didn\u2019t want to scare him off. \u201cThanks for coming tonight,\u201d I said. \u201cDid you have fun?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did,\u201d he admitted. \u201cWorking up a sweat helped worked off my stress. I feel great!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat have I been trying to tell you?\u201d I said, laughing.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s something else,\u201d he said. \u201cI love how you move. You\u2019re really good.\u201d<\/p>\n This time when our eyes met, sparks flew. And they\u2019ve been flying between us ever since.<\/p>\n We\u2019re so into Zumba now that we teach classes together. I\u2019ve lost 40 pounds and Thomas has lost 55. I don\u2019t need my cholesterol medicine anymore. We take better care of our parents now that we\u2019re taking care of ourselves.<\/p>\n God didn\u2019t just get us moving again, he got us moving even closer together. Why else would every night feel like date night?<\/p>\n