Doing the Polka

As everyone knows, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the greatest team of any professional sport on earth. "We" have more Super Bowl rings than any other team ..... Sixburg! I use "we" because I am part of the "Steeler Nation", part of the diaspora from western PA. I never knew that I was part of a diaspora until this January when I got an email forward about the wonderful aspects of being part of "Steeler Nation". I think that diaspora might be a bit of a stretch, but it is fun to say. We are right there with the Jews and the slaves from West Africa .... well not really ... see what I mean? Members of Steeler Nation can get pretty sentimental, so I think that's why diaspora was used in the email.

Anyway, part of being a member of Steeler Nation is you should know how to do the polka. And, if you hear a polka being played, you will find a partner and begin doing the polka. The polka for those of you that don't know is a bouncy high energy dance from eastern Europe. There are a lot of people in Pennsylvania who can trace their heritage to eastern Europe, so the polka is pretty popular at weddings and strangely enough in PE class. Did anyone other than me do the polka in PE?

On Super Bowl Sunday, I went to Sammy's with friends and my cousin Michele (who can do the polka quite well). Sammy's is the official Steeler bar of Raleigh where the official Steeler triangle area fan club meets, so I was there. They were playing the Pennsylvania Polka when we walked in, but I wasn't really in my "Steeler Nation crazy fan mode yet", so I just smiled when I heard it instead of demanding that my cousin dance with me.

Well, after the Steelers won, the DJ played the Pennsylvania Polka during a commercial break. Let me pause here for a moment to fill you in on how I was feeling that day .... crappy ... my RA was really bothering me. I was tired and my ankles hurt .... badly. But, it was the Super Bowl, I wasn't going to sit at home alone. No Way! Ok, so back to my story. I was beyond excited, ... running on adrenaline ..... and I grabbed my cousin's hand to do the polka .... we had just won the Super Bowl!!!!!! We have more rings than any other team! I want to have Troy Polamalu's love child ..... I was in crazy fan mode!

She politely declined since she had helped a friend move the day before and her calf muscle was sore, but I wasn't going to take no for an answer. I pulled her off of her chair and we started doing the polka. I was thrilled ... we were both giggling. Other people started dancing too. Ahhhhhh ...... OUCH something just bit my achilles tendon. Shelly, "something just happened to my ankle." I danced for a little bit more, but then I sat down to investigate. &^%$ ... I was in serious pain. What had just happened?

Turns out, I had partially torn my achilles tendon. Damn! It was compromised from a few years of arthritis in my left ankle, and the polka was the last ..... bouncy dance that I was going to do for awhile.

Was it worth it? Yes, I am not going to stay home and feel sorry for myself and be alone on a special occasion. And I am the type of person who is going to do the polka even if I am having a "yucky pain day". It reminds me of my Grandma Karalfa who taught me how to polka, she's passed since. There I go with being sentimental. Was it wise of me to dance? I am not sure. It is a hard balance. Where should I draw the line? I try everyday to decide what I can and can't do ..... But, sometimes my personality ... my youth ..... gets in the way of being prudent. It's tough to be a bit of a sentimental spaz with gimpy joints.