Tap, Tap, Tap–Learning to Dance by Cher’ley

 

This blog by Cher’ley Grogg

Many of you have known me for a long time, and you know that my age is no barrier. I learn a few very new to me things each year. Earlier this year it was clogging, and now it is tap dancing. I even threw in some ballroom dance in between.

My favorite tapper:

From the Blog A Conscious Rethink I read about learning.

The human brain is an amazing organ that most of us take for granted; it allows us to learn, to imagine, to remember things, and to communicate. It is a complex system of billions of neurons and trillions of connections that makes us, as far as we know, the only living thing capable of conscious thought.

What’s even more remarkable is that the brain can adapt and change in quite drastic ways when required. This process, known as neuroplasticity, is what’s behind our ability to learn new things.

But there is a problem – lasting, plastic change within the brain is only possible when you add one essential ingredient. Without it, any new neural connections that are formed are likely to fade quite quickly.

This ingredient is your dedicated and focused attention on the thing you wish to learn. It is this that allows the brain to create and strengthen connections within its structure and essentially store a new skill or ability to memory.

Without this deliberate concentration, many other parts of your brain are activated to perform various tasks.

This is great, but I am learning to tap dance because it is fun. I never took the time to learn when I was young, so now’s my chance. I take 5 lessons a week right now. The new year will calm down to 4.

I started painting after I became a Grandma, and I learned to play volleyball the same year. I did that for several years and got to where I showed and sold my art. It is in collections all over the world. Then I decided to write, and I have had some success at that as well. But these things did not come easily to me. I worked and worked at all that I learned to do. I did eight years of college classes about writing before I wrote a book. I wrote a lot of short stories and even won some contests, but I waited to write my books, well, in reality, I waited to finish them. In art, I took private lessons from 3 fairly famous artists and did 100’s of videos and books. I worked hard, but it paid off.

I hope to be in some dance shows next year. That will be fun. I do find that I need to concentrate heavily on whatever I am trying to learn, so I like to do just that.

***How about you? What is your journey like? Do you like to concentrate on a new thing every year?*** 

Cher’ley’s Books are listed below and on sale at Amazon and local bookstores. And she has a new one that is freshly published with 11 other authors.

Stamp Out Murder”.

 “The Secret in Grandma’s Trunk” This is an especially good book for your Tween Children and Grandchildren

The Journey Back-One Joy at a Time and the B&W Edition of The Journey Back

Boys Will Be Boys   The Joys and Terrors of Raising Boys-An Anthology

 Cowboys, Creatures, and Calico 

All About the Girls 

 And please join me on my Facebook Fanpage, that’s managed by one of my most faithful fans: Cindy Ferrell

Here’s a link to Cher’ley’s WEBSITE