HULA HOOP

Please be encouraged to vote in the poll at top left - referring to the late July blogs.

When you are authoring a blog on an almost daily basis, you are thankful for the most random things that happen so you can turn around and have something useful to say to your adoring fans.

And today, RANDOM took on a whole new meaning. Let me start with this …

You may think the Hula Hoop was a fad born in the 1950’s, but people were doing the same kind of thing with circular hoops made from grape vines and stiff grasses all over the ancient world. The toy was propelled along the ground with a stick or swung around at the waist. During the fourteenth century, a "hooping" craze swept England, and was as popular among adults as kids. The records of doctors at the time attribute numerous dislocated backs and heart attacks to "hooping." The word hula became associated with the toy in the early 1800's when British sailors visited the Hawaiian Islands and noted the similarity between "hooping" and hula dancing. In 1957, an Australian company began making wood rings for sale in retail stores. The item attracted the attention of Wham-O, a fledgling California toy manufacturer. They manufactured a plastic hoop in a variety of bright colors and gave demonstrations along with free hoops to get children to learn and play. Their perseverance turned the hula hoop into one of the greatest fads the country has ever seen. Twenty-five million were sold in four months! It died out in the 1960’s, but guess what? THEY’RE BACK!!!

So what, you ask? Well, today I’m at one of Kenosha’s finer establishments buying some product for an evening meeting – and on my way in there is a person standing there with a hula hoop around her waist, asking people if they would like to join her in hula hooping - right there outside the store - in front of God and everybody. I smiled to myself at all the ‘non-takers’ passing by.

I couldn’t get it out of my head the whole time I was in the store and I wondered if she would be there when I came out. She was.

I wondered if I could get past her while she was looking the other direction. I couldn’t.

I wondered if I would be able to avoid eye contact with her so she wouldn’t talk to me. I didn’t.

I wondered if she would actually have the audacity to ask a tall, reserved fellow like me to join her in hula hooping. She did.

I wondered if there was anyone walking in or out of the store whom I knew. There wasn’t.

I looked again just to make sure. And a third and fourth time. Still nobody.

Suffice to say … this would not be the kind of thing that – say – 5 or 10 years ago, I would have done. But as I get ‘less young,’ I am coming to realize we do not take advantage of the fun things in life nearly enough. And I have never had a blog where I needed fodder to write about every day.

And so --- well --- did I or didn’t I? I’ll never tell --- except to say --- my hips are sore.

And be blessed.