Outrageous Movement

Still thinking about my trip to Brooklyn, New York this past Labor Day to the Caribbean Day Parade. Now let me tell you how entertaining it was. Not everyone can say what I am about to say but I am sure there were people thinking this.

As I watched the floats pass by and the colorful and feathered costumes of this mini-Carnival, my heartbeat was replaced by the load and thumping music blasting from the tracker-trailer trucks with the DJ rapping on the top. And the women were shaking their thang. Now when I say shaking their thang, all their stuff was hanging out of those costumes and giglling and Oh MY GOD, were they really serious about how good they felt about themselves. At moments I was wondering was this the modern day minstrel show or what? Fat hanging and gigling over the bikini bottoms. Breasts barely covered.

I met my son’s roommate’s mother who is from Nigeria. She is such a dignified woman. The first day she appeared in her beautiful African top with the frilly sleeves and straight hugging skirt with the ruffle on the bottom all in a typical African pattern colored in green, gold and brown with a bit of red thrown in. As I watch the activity on Eastern Parkway, I wondered if it was the Middle Passage and slave trade that somehow has caused some of us dropped off on these islands and in America has caused us to lose all forms of dignity and respect for ourselves. As I watched these costumed women in the parade bend over and stick out their too too ample butts at some guy and then that man come and pump to the music into that…..again I say OMG. No I say OMFG. Have these people absolutely lost their minds? Some of these women were grandmothers.

What can we learn from this? If those women danced like that every day, it would be good for their bodies and the obesity rate in Black American would be well below the 80% at which it hovers. I also some days wish I felt so good about myself that I would have no problem strutting my stuff and shaking my thing in the middle of a Fifth Avenue.

I want everyone to know that I am running and spinning and doing yoga and putting great food in my body so that after I master the Samba, I will be in Brazil wearing my feathers and shaking it good. Then I will put back on my clothes and walk dignified and respectfully back to life.

Dancing is a great way to move. Make it part of your routine and turn on that music and just let it go for 30 minutes every day. Aaaaaah. Then welcome back to life.

Dr. Veronica

MOVE EAT RELAX