Off-Beat Optimism

I feel extremely sorry for the Friday night Zumba teacher at the health club. That poor woman has rhythm, spunk, personality galore, and just gets that Latin beat. And she has to teach her salsa based class to a dozen women who have absolutely no idea what it means to step in time to the beat.

Don't get me wrong, I am NOT making fun of my fellow class mates. Because I am the worst of the worst in that class. Having been three times now, I have just begun to kind of, sort of, keep up with her moves. At least, I'm now only a beat or so behind.

Can you imagine teaching such a class? That woman is nothing if she is not optimistic. She is thrilled when we almost catch on to one of her dance moves.

It's like when we give our dog a half-eaten apple core. Might as well just feed her a whole salmon.

But I guess I have the same disease she has. When I log on to my account and see how many people have purchased my books, my heart does this wiggly dance. I admit to getting geekily happy. Maybe it has something to do with that whole 'follow your bliss' thing. Finding out that there are people out there who want to read what I made up--Wow. How do I even describe that one? Well, I guess I'm backed in tocorner and just have to give some ideas:

• a hummingbird flying in to a Kool Aid festival
• ticks, fleas, and cockroaches simultaneously decide to become extinct
• Alan Rickman, my movie star crush, sees me being interviewed by Oprah for my latest best selling kids book, and falls instantly in love
• an hour of play time with Britain's royal corgis
• discovering that Hogwarts is a real school, and being admitted
• school is now being held at Disneyland

At least one of those must convey to you the kind of joy I get from selling my books.

Oh, and a world in which everyone is living in abundance by following their bliss. Now that would be cool.

Heather Leigh,
Optimistic Author