Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote another post about my awkwardness in a gym fitness class I attend at University Hospital Fitness Center: Flight of the Flamingo – Or Not.

In yesterday’s class, I once again laughed at myself as my gaze bounced between watching the instructor’s every move and watching my reflection in the mirror, disappointed time-after-time that my moves looked nowhere near the adorable instructor’s.

So, am I enlightened, or unhinged?

I mean, Kelly-the-Instructor was everything my physical self has wanted to be since I was fourteen-years-old. Petite, lean, limber, perky, bouncy, adorable. And her dance moves! Oh, she tried to help out my fellow classmates and me by using descriptions like, “tornado,” or “shark,” or “punch,” or “shimmy.”

But when someone yelled, “Shake your ta-tas,” (can’t remember if it was a song lyric or if she shouted it,” all I could think was, “nah-nah, not me.” (Though embarrassingly, I’ll admit, I did try—but just once.)

At one point, I was reminded of the documentary “America’s Sweethearts,” about the young women who give everything in their attempts to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. Oh, not that I was ANYWHERE CLOSE to thinking I could have ever done that, but I realized just how hard it is to do what they make look so easy. Not only did Kelly-the-Instructor make it look easy, she was having FUN as she danced in front of us. (Or she was faking it really well.) No matter how hard I faked it, I don’t think I looked like I was having fun. But actually, I was—laughing at myself! (BTW, I highly recommend America’s Sweethearts on Netflix!)

But what the heck. Afterwards I told Kelly-the Instructor I enjoyed her class, even though I felt awkward through 95% of it. At least I was moving – like a grandmotherly cheerleader wanna-be!