Every night, before going to bed, I dance, I dance with the love of my life. This is not a dream, fantasy or metaphor, we actually dance. Is it a Tango, no, is it a Waltz, no, how about a Two Step? You are from Texas after all.

No it’s none of the above, with my ALS, sadly I was unable to do those even before my illness, lol. No I call this dance the Transfer Shuffle. It’s a delicate, truly intimate dance between my wife and I.

It starts with positioning the powerchair near the bed, followed by raising the chair to standing height. I then shuffle to the edge and stand up, yes I still can. This next step is crucial, my wife takes my hands. Grasping at my wrist while I do the same, now the dance begins…I initiate with a slight hip thrust, needed to have my leg and foot follow, sometimes the move is imperceptible, so I repeat. This is followed by repeating with the alternate hip, leg and foot. In response, my wife follows my lead by shuffling in the opposite direction. It sometimes appears as though we are swaying. These dance steps are repeated until I reach the desired position adjacent to our bed.

This then is the conclusion of this intimate interlude; we have danced as we do every evening. Hands interlocking, eyes focused on each other, every move dictated by the rhythm of the music in our hearts and souls. The very last step…a kiss goodnight.

And we danced!

TJ&O