Stepping Out (of my comfort zone)

This week was a good week, but a tiring one with work stretching well in to the evening.  So, on Friday evening I wasn't particularly looking forward to our friend's birthday party at Opa, the Greek Taverna.  I felt every bit of my 31 years and a few of someone else's.  A restaurant infamous for dancing on the tables and napkins used as confetti wasn't exactly what I would have planned for my evening.  But, it was her birthday and so I put on my sundress and a smile.  

And when we got there I sat back to enjoy the show with a plate of amazing food .  One of the belly dancers was on the table next to us, swallowing fire.  Others danced through the room, pulling patrons out of their seats.  Not that much encouragement was necessary, since many of the patrons were eager to have their plates cleared away so they could dance on their table.  I won't deny alcohol was consumed in great volume, but it was really mostly good, clean fun.  People were dancing, laughing and enjoying one another.  Besides, you couldn't be too drunk since you were dancing on the table.

I watched the table across from me and smiled over the top of my glass of wine thinking "it really takes alot of self-confidence to be able to climb up there."  Then they cleared our table, and with only the birthday girl and I sitting there at the moment the belly dancer started to dance.  When she reached her hand down to us, I simply couldn't refuse her.  I mean, she is dancing on the table in the middle of the restaurant.  The least she can expect is for everyone else to play along.  

And that is how I ended up dancing on the tabletop with a belly dancer as perfect strangers took our picture.  

My foray in to table dancing would have been short-lived, but when I held my hand out for an assist down the belly dancer literally whispered "no, don't go!" in a panicked voice.  So, I stayed and the braver of our friends and my extroverted husband joined us on the table as they came back in from the patio.  It turns out that once you've spent ten minutes dancing on the table it is much easier to climb back up there again.  

While its not the first time we've danced the night away, it is certainly the first time we've done so on top of a table.  It is also, as far as I know, the first time we've taken a starring role in the photos of several dozen tourists.