Dancing Without Stars

Anyone who knows me is aware of the fact that I am not athletic. Heck I am not even all that coordinated. You can imagine that when I was informed my senior year of college that I still needed a PE credit to graduate I was less than enthusiatic. The thought of dressing out for PE with a bunch of physically talented college freshman was more than a little intimidating. Now, try to imagine how excited I was to find a class called “Folk, Social, and Square Dancing!” Open to all majors, no dressing out, no shower rooms, no special shoes. Perfect!

The year was 1981 and all I wanted to do was graduate with my English degree. Dancing a few hours a week proved to be rather fun. My assigned dance partner was a Freshman PE Major named Kennedy Johnson. Lucky for me I was paired up with someone coordinated and athletic. He “got” it and I just followed him. Thanks to Kennedy Johnson I got earned my PE credit successfully and painlessly. That name has stuck with me all these years - and yes I believe there is a JFK/LBJ story in there somewhere. Over the years I have told the story of my college dance class, my dance partner and his unforgettable name many times.

Moving ahead now to the present day I am reminded of just how small the world we live in really is. I recently attended my nephew’s wedding. I did not know the family of his bride and with the exception of a couple of people, I did not know anyone there that I was not related to. As I read through the program before the wedding I was surprised to see the name Kennedy Johnson listed as the bride’s brother in law.

I thought “Could it be?” I hadn’t seen him in 30 years, but yes the bride’s escort did seem familiar. The age was right, the stature.... I knew I had to find out if this was indeed the same person.

When I walked up to him at the reception and asked if he was Kennedy Johnson, he asked if we had met before because my eyes looked familiar. (Dance partners spend a lot of time looking at each others eyes).
I asked if he was at Benedictine College in 1981. Yes...
I asked if he took a dance class. Yes...
He said that class in the dark old gym on the South campus. Yes...
I said well, I was your dance partner.

For some reason it always feels good to reconnect with someone from your past that you shared happy memories with. And I am always humbled by the thought that no matter how brief our relationships or encounters with people are we should always be generous and kind. We never know when or how they may come back into our lives.

Who knew that my college dance partner Kennedy Johnson and I would one day be practically related!?

Polka anyone?