Week 21 5-20-22  “My Morning and Evening”

Changing Lives through Dancing by David Woodbury                                       

Arthur Murray Santa Monica

“Remember, it will get better.”

– David Earl Woodbury (1956 – )

Dance Professional

Recently I was on a wonderful Zoom meeting with the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce. It was a New Member Orientation. We had a lovely speaker, positive and uplifting, a great narrator and even a future speaker who is a new member, just to name a few attending the meeting.

The motivational speaker and others went over how they started and ended their days. Drinking special types of waters, writing in positive journals, yoga, breathing exercises. So many motivating things to do in their morning schedule. One member even told of the exact time she goes to sleep in the evening, when she cuts off any blue screens and how she awakens the next morning.

Wow, I was so impressed and motivated. Usually I can always hide on a Zoom call, but someone asked me what I do in the morning. The question caught me off guard.

I gave them a much, much, much shorter version of the following and it was wonderfully received!

Well, I said the first thing I do is turn to Joel and say, “Good Morning, I Love You!” and he responds back with the exact same words. Then to the WC. Then I come out and I begin taking care of the two sweetest 14-year-old kitties in the whole world. Teenie is always on the bed and she gets special kisses and rubs. Boo is usually yelling at me from the floor, running into the den office to catch the sun on the floor and play chase.

They are both so talkative and then I pick up each one separately, jumping back into bed to give them special rubs, kisses and more sweet talk. After that they both get a brushing and they are in kitty heaven.

I ask Joel if he has time for breakfast and then I say to the boos “Let’s go have breakfast”. The three of us go down to the kitchen.

This is when the sweetest part of my morning starts. Joel now has some private quiet time to wake up and he knows he has at least 30 minutes before it’s all ready.

First, I am always humbled during my first task is always cleaning up all the litter they have scattered on the floor and then I clean up their poopies from the kitty litter box. It is so stinky, but this is how I know how healthy they truly are daily. I then finishing hand brushing littler from the rugs and floors and the real fun begins.

I sing out “Foodies”. Teenie loves her treats and breakfast. I fill the dry food bowl, wipe up the floor from yesterday’s food and then wash their little bowls. At this time, Teenie and Boo are chatting very getting very loud and wanting her food.

Then the time for “waters” as we say to her. I fill her washed water bowl and carry it to her spot. She stands there and tells me all about it. It’s such a tender time listening to her little coos. I tap the bowl and I give her a good rub. Sometimes Boo enjoys this water time as well with her, or he is just patiently waiting.

Then it’s time for a song. I carefully place five treats in each hand and say “Treaties”. They are both very vocal by this point. I sit at the bottom of the stairs and hand feed each of them their treats as I sing one of many songs to them. With treaties now gone, they run back into the kitchen.

I tap on the wet food can and say, “It’s a fresh one!” Teenie tries to open the lower cabinet door to help me and I pull out the trash can, and she stands up on the edge meowing and I call her my littler tiger and pet her. So sweet! She tries to help me with her little hands as I peel off the top of the can. I then put their food in each bowl, and we move to the side of the kitchen where they eat. I place down each bowl, then give each kitty a quick squeeze and each receives kisses.

Teenie eats like a football player. Boo on the other hand eats for 60 seconds and walks away. I re-stir his food and again place his bowl right in front of him wherever he has moved. This relocating happens four to five times. I think he forgets he’s eating! I must watch him, for in a second, he moves again and Teenie is hot and heavy on the prowl to eat his food. Joel usually appears now, and he stands over and moves the food bowl to Boo’s “new location” and eats until he is full. Then Teenie moves in and finishes it. This is the same schedule and routine every say. They are always the same kind, sweet, loving little kitties. They never have a bad day and they are never grouchy or are in a bad mood. I can count of them like the sunrise and the sunset.

I then hit full human breakfast mode and produce a breakfast feast for Joel and for me. It is a lovely time of day. The happy kitties are underfoot in the kitchen, the house smells wonderful, and there is usually a bit of time for a chat with both humans and cats, and another cup of coffee. I always make a quick lunch for Joel and hope he has time to eat it during his always busy day.

The rest of the day is Dance Dance Dance at Arthur Murray Santa Monica as we are growing our school again after the pandemic.

Going home at night. In the mornings and during the day, we only utter sweet kind words to each other and the kitties. When we return home, we close the door behind us, put all our bags down (bags are a dancer’s thing) and we pet and hold and rub and sweet talk both kitties. It’s so fun and so special. We love coming home to them. The greet us just like little puppies and they want their rubs. The kind words have them knowing that they will receive love and that they are safe every time we come home.

After a quick change of clothes, it’s treats time again for the boos. They get their treats in the morning and at night with us sitting on the bottom step, hand feeding them each five little treats as we sing little songs to them.

I cook a late-night dinner and serve it with love, and I make sure it’s healthy, nurturing and delicious.

Then we say “Sleepies?”. They both know that it is time for bed. In bed Teenie jumps up and sleeps on our feet, and boo is usually our little pillow sleeping by our heads, or just anywhere he decides to camp out for the night.

The last words out of our mouth to each other every night before sleeping are “Good night I love you and Sweet Dreams with Jesus”. (Joel’s mom always said this to him every night). We wait for the dawn to say, “Good Morning I Love You” and the magic of each day begins again.

Well, that’s how we do it at our house. I love every second of my home life. It’s paradise and precious to me.

Thanks for reading. Keep on Dancing. Stay well. Don’t give up. It will get better.

David Woodbury – Arthur Murray Santa Monica, CA

Love you all,

David Woodbury

info@DancingSantaMonica@gmail.com

PS: If you’d like a blog about “David’s Kitchen” please ask via email. You’d be surprised how closely connected Ballroom Dancing and Cooking truly are!