hoop dancing

On gratitude, a new year, and hooping

/ Tracy Abell / 15 Comments

I’m pleased to say we had a three-day break in the rain and as of yesterday, we have a new roof! Today I’m exceedingly grateful for the thorough contractor who managed the project and gave us peace of mind. Let it rain!

Yesterday we joined friends Jo and Caleb at Finnriver Farm & Cidery in Chimicum for a beautiful send-off to the new year. Zippy and I’d never been there . It’s a gorgeous setting and the nearly-full moon and fog only heightened its allure. Finnriver has land and community partners that include the North Olympic Salmon Coalition which explains why there’s a gigantic salmon on the property.

Zippy, me, and Fin the Migrating Salmon

Despite that beautiful, community-oriented experience last night, the blues grabbed hold of me this afternoon.  I begrudgingly did my weight-lifting routine (gotta get strong enough to punch Nazis!) which eased some but not all of the sad. I needed my foolproof method for escaping the doldrums.

Hooping! I listened to loud music as I danced in my hoop for twenty minutes and now feel SO much better. My plan for 2026 is to hoop every single day for at least a couple minutes. What’s coming is gonna be tough and I need to be strong, both physically and mentally. So, if you happen upon me posting here about feeling sad and blue, PLEASE ask me “Have you hooped today, Tracy?”

I hope your first day of this new year has brought you some joy. Remember, there’s always a dance party over here and everyone’s welcome. Solidarity! ✊🏼

Sunday Confessional: dance drought

/ Tracy Abell / 13 Comments

The past year was incredibly difficult on a personal and global level and, unfortunately, it continues into this new year. I’ve unintentionally dropped many good habits–running, hoop dancing, posting here–as a result of the grief and sheer exhaustion of bearing witness to the suffering of so many. Today, however, I finally summoned the energy to do something I’ve dearly missed: hoop-dancing. For twenty minutes, I danced and spun in my hoop, singing along with the music. Emma was happy to see my dancing again and we howled together for several minutes, me grinning as her tail wagged and wagged.

A dancing Sandhill Crane at Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge. March 12, 2024

Today I reclaimed my joy. My intention is to dance again tomorrow . . . and to continue dancing in the days and months to come.  Dance as a revolutionary act!

Ending the year on a positive note

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

I deliberately went in search of natural inspiration and rejuvenation this afternoon as I wanted to end the year on a positive note. And during that time watching and listening to the birds and other wildlife around my home, the grief and anxiety fell away. I was at peace. Here’s a sampling of what I witnessed:

Scrub Jay

American Robin

White-crowned Sparrow (immature)

House Finch

Disgruntled Bunny (and yes, that’s a great name for a band!)

Dark-eyed Junco (and no, that’s not their mess)

House Finch

Goldfinch

Squirrel!

And lastly, Emma Jean-Jean, keeping an eye on things as I photographed yard visitors

I also saw Northern Flickers, a woodpecker, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee, Mourning Doves, and magpies. It was a bird buffet!

But that’s not all I did to soothe my soul. I also hoop-danced for 10 minutes today which brought my hoop-dancing total for the year to exactly 28 hours! In 2021, I hooped for 24 hours and in 2022 I hooped for just over 27 hours. So, this year is my new record. Woot woot!

Happy New Year to all! May the coming year bring more justice and peace around the globe.

Howlin’ for You

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

My days often begin with hoop-dancing in my living room where I put on loud music and dance around for 20 minutes or so, snapping my fingers and singing off-key. In addition to the birds (and squirrels) at the feeders outside the window, I’m also frequently joined by Emma. Typically, she’s in whatever room Zippy is occupying but something about the music and my dancing gets her going, and she’ll suddenly appear in the entryway, wagging her tail and smiling at me. That’s my cue to begin howling.

Emma immediately joins in.

She usually stays out of the way, content to howl from the edge of the dance floor, but this morning she moved in close to the action.

You’ll have to trust that my hoop is spinning around me and my head is thrown back to howl with Emma. Zippy sprang into photographer action when I called to him, but the camera had the long lens on it which didn’t allow for a wide angle shot.

But baby, we were both howlin’ for you.

So long, 2022

/ Tracy Abell / 9 Comments

It’s tempting to say this year was filled with nothing but loss — the deaths of my brother-in-law, my mother-in-law, and a friend/critique partner, plus parting ways with my agent. But that’s not the whole story.

I’m in a much better place than I was a year ago as I dealt with the resurfacing of a childhood trauma. I did a lot of work with my therapist in the first half of this year and am much stronger and more centered. That’s a huge win.

This past year I also took my first-ever solo camping trip which made me nervous to contemplate (see above), and ended up having a glorious time.

And while I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions, I did want to continue my Hoop Dancing Challenge tradition. In 2021, I hoop-danced for just over 24 hours. And this year? Well, I logged 27 hours and 11 minutes!

Here I am this afternoon with my trusty hoop that brings me so much joy. I’m incredibly grateful to have this outlet, especially on days when it’s a struggle to get out of bed to face another day of our harsh reality. But music and movement kept me going. Hooray for funk!

Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year! Don’t forget to dance in 2023!

Hoopy birthday to me!

/ Tracy Abell / 5 Comments

This is me hoop-dancing in my brother’s driveway three years ago and I’m posting this photo to commemorate my birthday because hooping continues to be a gift to my emotional and physical health. I’m on track to hoop 24+ hours this year, the third year in a row.

But I’m not hooping today. Right now, I’m celebrating my birthday with a solo camping trip in Moby (campervan), and it’s no fun hooping outside in winter. Fortunately, it is fun to hike and trail-run and photograph birds in winter, so I’m probably doing one of those things right now. If not, I’m settled inside the cozy van, reading a book or noodling over a new project. (Lucky me, WordPress allows you to schedule blog posts days in advance!)

When I get home, I’ll crank up the music and hoop-dance in my living room while watching birds at the feeder outside the window. That’s some hoopla!

Some good stuff

/ Tracy Abell / 13 Comments

I met my goal to hoop-dance for 24 hours in 2021! While hooping for approximately an hour each day ended up being a bit much, the experience was mostly joyful. My official stats are 1,446 minutes: 24 hours and six minutes of dancing in the spin. One entire day of this exceedingly difficult year was devoted to an activity I love. 

Post-challenge victory photo. December 31, 2021

And if that’s not enough of a WIN for this last day of the year, right before my final hooping session, we took a walk during the first substantial snowstorm of the year for this part of Colorado (which comes the day after two wildfires in nearby Boulder County as a result of extreme drought and hurricane-level winds).

Emma in her sweater, straining to identify an intriguing odor. 

At this moment, I’m focusing on the good stuff. The array of birds visiting the yard as I hoop-danced this morning (Black-capped Chickadee, Bushtits, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-billed Magpies, American Crow, Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay) and the glorious feel of snowflakes on my face as we walked three miles around the neighborhood.

Happy New Year! Wishing you much joy. ✨

Creeping on a Creeper

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

As I hoop-danced this morning, I watched various nuthatches and a squirrel visit the peanut feeder hanging in the tree outside the window. And then I noticed another bird moving up and down the tree trunk. The elusive Brown Creeper!

I stepped out of the spin and grabbed my camera, hoping I’d finally get a decent photo of that beautiful bird that never stops moving.
     

   

Definitely not high-quality captures, but these photos are documentation of the morning I paused my happy hoop-dancing session to stalk a Brown Creeper.

Birthday gifts

/ Tracy Abell / 12 Comments

It’s a beautiful day in Colorado on this, my birthday. The snow is melting due to sunshine and a balmy 50 degrees.

August 4, 2020.

Late November always presents a mental health challenge and I struggle to summon the enthusiasm for these days. However, I got up and hoop-danced this morning which felt very good. And, as always, it lifts my spirits to gaze upon a cheery sunflower. This one bloomed several months ago and I award the image bonus points for that busy, busy bee. Happy birthday to me.

Thankful Thursday

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

It’s hard getting out of bed these days. I eventually got myself upright and after my morning ablutions, I reached for my hoop. For twenty minutes, I hoop-danced in front of my living room window. My mood lifted and I felt more energized. As I danced to the music, my eyes kept going to the purple coneflowers in the front garden bed and I told myself I’d photograph them when the dance session ended.

Purple Coneflowers. July 16, 2020.

Today I am grateful for these flowers, for my hoop, for music, and for my climate activist friend who’s currently reading my middle grade novel to make sure I didn’t misrepresent anything. Also? I’m glad I got out of bed.

Thankful Thursday: hoopla edition

/ Tracy Abell / 5 Comments

This morning I woke planning to run on the trails. Then I looked out the window and saw tree branches bouncing in the wind. Instead, I opted to hoop inside.

Hooping with my niece D in Ohio. August 15, 2019.

I haven’t hoop-danced in quite a while. I’ve attempted it a few times over the past months, but couldn’t summon enough oomph. This whole pandemic situation and the blatant desertion of working people by the political elite of both parties is exhausting. And infuriating, rage-inducing, horrific, etc. And did I mention exhausting? No dancing for this one.

Until this morning. People, I hoop-danced for 25 minutes and pretty much grinned the whole time!

Take that, you soulless ghouls. I refuse to be broken.

Hoopy New Year!

/ Tracy Abell / 7 Comments

It’s the last day of 2019 and the final day of the decade, which feels like an awful lot of pressure. What exactly have I accomplished in that time?

I quickly realized that contemplating this past year and the previous nine years was not morale-boosting if I only focused on my quest for traditional publication of my novels. So. I shifted my gaze to another aspect of my life.

Self-portrait, December 31, 2019.

I just went through my calendar and added up all my 2019 hoop-dancing sessions. And you know what? I hooped for 1,162 minutes this year (and there’s still time to add more today)! All those minutes translate to just over 19 hours of hoop-dancing this year. Nineteen hours of me dancing, whether I felt like it or not, knowing I always, always feel better after a hoop session. I didn’t sell the novel about my beloved character Poppy Valentine this year, but I danced myself through that disappointment (and the overall fog of hard-times-on-the-planet) and drafted another book.

Hoop-dancing and drafting? Not too shabby. Turns out I did accomplish a few things in 2019.

Happy New Year to everyone! May we all keep dancing in 2020!

Thankful Thursday: mixed bag edition

/ Tracy Abell / 3 Comments

October 7, 2019

Today I am thankful for:

  • The color purple which I wore to critique group dinner last evening after
    finishing my work-for-hire assignment in the afternoon.
  • A rousing hoop-dancing session this morning before the onset of flu this afternoon.
  • My space heater and oscillococcinum.

Hooping for international relations

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

Our friend Susan came to visit today before she flies across the pond to officially begin life in London. (She now has a visa and is totally legit!) Anyway, she and I are hooping buddies from way back and we try to hoop together whenever we can. It turns out I can’t embed video on my site, so I encourage you to play “Ooh La La” from Goldfrapp while perusing these stills from our afternoon session:

The final two photos show our hoops colliding which brought shrieks of laughter and big, big smiles. Our hooping technique may be suspect, but our passion and enthusiasm are real.

Love and hugs to Susan as she embarks on her grand adventure!

Thursday funny

/ Tracy Abell

After I finished my hoop-dancing session this morning, Zippy walked into the kitchen. I’d blasted lots of funky songs from my playlist and the final one was “Overpowered by Funk” by The Clash. As I danced over to pour myself coffee, I asked my mate, “Are you feeling overpowered by funk?”

Zippy said, “I think I’m immune to funk.”

“No,” I cried. “That’s just wrong! How could anyone be immune to funk?! That’s blasphemy!”

“Well,” Zippy conceded. “I do like Roger Clinton more than most people.”

“George Clinton!” I corrected. “You like George Clinton.”

“Oh, yeah,” Zippy said. “Roger Clinton is Bill Clinton’s brother.”

Roger Clinton

George Clinton:              Parliament Funkadelic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No offense to Zippy, but there’s no mistaking Roger’s music for George’s.

I am me and you are you

/ Tracy Abell / 3 Comments

The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you.
Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision.
So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.
~ Neil Gaiman

Started my day with some hoop dancing, and now it’s off to write.
Today feels like a wonderful day to be me.

Thanks for reading this. Now go be you.

Sunday Confessional: Sometimes I’m perfectly happy to be less-than-perfect

/ Tracy Abell

I made a new hoop today, something I’ve been talking about for months. My reasons for not doing it sooner include the usual procastinate-y suspects, but one of the main reasons I put it off was because I was nervous about taping it. The last hoop I made (in 2008) has layers of gaffer tape where I screwed up and overlapped. The tape added heft to that hoop (and a little imbalance).

Today, after Zippy measured, cut, and connected the irrigation tubing, I decided to take the easy approach: one color.

The spacing varies and there are some wrinkles, and I’m pretty confident that I’ll discover dog and/or cat hairs stuck in the tape, but I’m thrilled with my taping performance.

The hoop is pretty and blue and ready to go for a spin, and I’m perfectly content.

.

Thankful Thursday

/ Tracy Abell

Zebu and Wildebeest have been avid Spotify users for years, and now Zippy and I also have access to ALL THAT MUSIC.

It’s great to have a song pop in my head and then seconds later, I listen to it. It was years since I’d heard Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” and then the other morning her voice gave me chills.

Spotify is also great for quickly checking out bands and musicians I read about in Rolling Stone, plus I discover new music while listening to other people’s playlists. Case in point, Earl St. Clair. Spotify = MORE MUSIC TO LOVE.

But the absolute greatest thing about Spotify is how it’s rejuvenated my hoop dancing. In the dark ages, I’d cobbled together a playlist of songs that were mostly good for dancing within my hoop. And while Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady” and Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” are kick-ass hoop dancing songs, I was bored.

Doris Humphrey in her hoop many years ago.

Dancer Doris Humphrey (1895-1958)  in her hoop many years ago.

Enter Spotify.

I’m now the proverbal kid in the candy store. New songs every day to inspire my hoop dance. New favorites to sample again and again without fear of getting in a permanent rut.

So on this Thankful Thursday, I am grateful for:
my hoop,
all the incredible music that makes me want to dance,
and Spotify which makes it easy to do.