I would not be here if it were not for the wonderful tango community that I have. This past year, you have continued lessons, supported my learning to teach remotely, and danced your butts off in front of your phones and computers so that we can continue to be a community.
But that’s just this year: I want to tell a story about 2005, the year that my tango community helped me survive in a different way. It’s my Mother’s Day blog because the women (and men) who helped me when I was a new mom changed my life. Since my own mother lives 3000 miles away, my tango community became my mom and grandma, allowing me to keep tango going in Eugene, Oregon.
When my son was three months old. his father decided that being a parent was not fun. I had not planned to be a single mom. How was I going to do this?? Enter the tango tias! Vicky, Lucy, Mary, Marilyn, Annette, Pam, Ashley—you are all still “Tia” to my teenager and when I mention you as “Tia X” he says, “Oh, yeah, her!” because you were all at our house, helping out—bringing food, babysitting, keeping me sane, etc.
You helped me organize classes and the Old Lady Tango Sherry Hour at my house, so I could put my son to bed and other people could keep dancing. You helped me find babysitters. You took classes with a baby strapped between us, making close embrace a whole new experience. I recently went through my photo album (yes, I am old, I have physical photo albums) from that year, and most of the photos are tango people holding my little one, eating, dancing—I am not exaggerating to say that I would not be teaching tango now if you had not helped me make it through that dark time.
So Happy Mother’s Day to all of my moms, my son’s tias, and my very favorite tango people!