Memories at Six

"resting my eyes"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I was 6 years old, I was old enough to go with my parents and older sister to the polka and waltz dances, held almost every weekend in a nearby community. There were dance halls, built in the late 1800's, in every little surrounding German and Czech community where I grew up. I couldn't find alot of information online about the history of German dancehalls built in Texas, but it is rich and it runs deep in my veins. I would run and play with my friends, both inside and outside of the hall. We would dance to the music of the German bands playing all our favorite songs. Right now it seems like forever ago. But once the dance ended, and we were on our way home, I would sit in the back seat of our car with my sister, fighting to keep my eyes open. I was determined not to fall asleep. But, I would, eventually give up and close my eyes. My father would always lean back and say to me, "Diane are you sleeping?" And, I would immediately say, "No, I'm just resting my eyes."

He would laugh.