What stimulates your hope?
The Polka is a happy, little tune - don’t you think? (Really, Gary? The Polka?
Slow day?)
No, really. I was station-surfing the other day; looking
for a little hard-rock music; it was my “Mandatory Metallica Monday”. I came across Polka music on the radio and it
immediately triggered memories of my childhood - and the movie “Home Alone”. Did you see that movie? John Candy played Gus Polinski, the leader of
a Polka Band from Milwaukee. Remember his pride over one of their hits,
“Polka-Polka-Polka”? Classic!
From Centralhome.com
(of all places):
Polka
is defined as a vivacious couple dance of Bohemian origin in duple time; it is
a basic pattern of hop-step-close-step; a lively dance tune in 2/4 time.
Vivacious; lively;
duple time; doesn’t that just perk you right up? OK, who brought the accordian?
Answer.com adds:
Polka music is a form of
European dance music which originated in Bohemia (what is now an area within
the Czech Republic).
And from Wikipedia:
Apparently,
it was so well-received that it became a sort of dance craze, spreading across
all of Europe, and to the US.
“OK Gary, but the Polka?
Today? How does that stimulate
hope?”
Well, you see the Polka is part of my family roots. When I was grade school aged and visited my
Aunt and Grandmother in Chicago, I watched my Cousin John practice and play the
accordion. At family gatherings everyone
would dance (lively; in duple time!). I remember
the cold beer would flow, as would the rich happiness of blue collar, working
families, who made the most of celebrations that they could rarely afford. Although they struggled to make ends meet,
when they partied – they really partied – and they polkaed!
There have been
other dance crazes, for sure. In the
‘60’s it was the Twist. Anyone remember
the Hustle from the ‘70’s? Who hasn’t
heard of the Electric Slide? How many
of these dances will outlast the Polka?
Back to
Wikipedia:
The
actual dance and accompanying music called "polka" are generally
attributed to a girl, Anna Slezakova of Labska Tynice, Bohemia, in 1834.
Alright Anna! 186
years and still going strong!
When
my relatives danced the Polka years ago, it was all about celebration. Celebrating some occasion, for sure; but also
celebrating family; celebrating life; celebrating hope! The hardest working people are often the ones
that enjoy family gatherings and modest accouterments the most, yes?
These
celebrations are enthusiastic expressions of hope. Blue collar families stay pretty focused
day-to-day; living paycheck to paycheck.
They have to. But when it’s time
for a family celebration, hope springs eternal!
Throughout
the ages, dances of hope were common among many people. Texas Bix
Bender, who brought us such sage advice as:
Don’t squat with your boots on.
and,
Never drink down stream from
the herd.
Also offers us insight about dance, the future, timing, and hope. In the Great Plains and throughout the West, for instance, we’ve all read lore
about the rain dance. And Texas Bix said:
Timing has a lot to do with the
outcome of a rain dance.
So I’m smiling today about the timing of my life and the
opportunity to envision memories of my Cousin John playing the accordion while
my Uncle Frank and Aunt Bernice danced the Polka into the wee hours of the
morning. Yes - the Polka – a happy (and hopeful) little tune indeed.
What stimulates your hope?
GAP
When
life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and
share the power of a positive perspective.
