Hey CiCi's! You are terrible! Never again!

For the second, and last, time in a row, I have tried to place an order with CiCi's at Village of Sandhills in Columbia, only to experience problems with their ordering process; this last time it was a a complete order failure.

For many years my family and I have enjoyed CiCi's pizza, and we really love their chicken wings. Once in a while I will call them on my way home and place an order so that I can pick it up for dinner. A few weeks ago I called them while I was on the highway and they demanded that I give them a credit card; I was not about to risk an accident while traveling on the highway at 60+ miles per hour, so I canceled the order.

This evening we were having a birthday party for my daughter and I ordered pizzas and wings for our guests. I was not asked for a credit card (which I was ready to provide) and was told it would take 30 minutes for the order to be ready). I arrived at the restaurant 45 minutes later and was told that they had not placed the order in yet. I was furious as I have hungry teens at the house waiting for dinner.

So, CiCi's … you have lost my business. If you cannot trust me or get your stuff together, then you do not deserve my money. Not only will you lose the $40+ dollars per order, you have lost the $400 orders I used to place for my bowling league's parties. So long. I wish you well. Your service has disappointed me for the last time.

Coughing? You may want to try natural Thyme tea

For the last few years I have noticed that often the cough associated with the average cold or flu lasts for several weeks. I recently learned that Thyme tea is a wonderful, natural remedy to heal from persistent coughs. You can look it up in reliable places such as the People’s Pharmacy:

https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2017/01/23/how-to-calm-a-cough-with-thyme-tea

Here is one recipe that has worked well for many: http://www.stepin2mygreenworld.com/healthyliving/cough-buster-thyme-tea/

You can vary the ingredients (except for Thyme, of course) to adjust to your taste. For example, some folks can tolerate the spiciness of Cayenne a lot better than others.

I hope this helps you or someone you know that is suffering from persistent cough.

2017 - Week #1

Here is  summary for the week.

Monday

On Day 2 of the new year, I ran 2.36 miles and walked 1.35 miles in the evening. I did great nutritionally. No strength training today. Mondays are normally the days I go bowling, so they will be my "rest" days for running and weights. Started the day at 253 pounds which was a disappointment because my weight last weeks was down to 250. I suspect I am not drinking enough water; need to work on that. I also may not be eating enough. Need to keep an eye on that too. It is a big balancing act. Another big bummer: I came down with a cold. I had originally thought about doing another 2 mile jog this evening, but opted out of that so that my body can deal with the cold.

Tuesday

Today saw an unintended change in routines, but it may be a very good change. I normally run in the morning with my dog Tara but this morning she refused to go with me because there was bad weather in a nearby state (she is ultra sensitive to thunderstorm activity). So I left to jog on my own. I used Podrunner's Gateway to 8K - Week 1. It was the perfect workout!

I must note that my right knee has been bothering for several days now. I am pushing through the discomfort and working on stretching exercises. I believe this pain is related to very tight leg muscles.

Today I also went to the fitness center at work for the first time since August. I did a light workout and also did 20 minutes of stationary bike, and that helped release some of my knee tension some. I remember that being the case back in 2009 when I also suffered from knee pain.

Very moderate nutrition day, although it was a rough start because someone brought cookies to the office and I indulged. Sadly, they did not even taste good. :-(  But the rest of the day was good and I was under the calorie intake goal set by SparkPeople as a guideline.

All in all, a great fitness day.

Wednesday

Started the morning with a nice jog on my own (still using Podrunner's Gateway to 8K - Week 1). I followed it with a nice walk with both dogs. The plan for today: go to the fitness center (lower body workout), and then join a Yoga class. I followed my plan fairly closely. Going to Yoga was a big relief to my knee. I did not do lower body, but repeated my upped body workout from Tuesday, with additional weight and reps.

Thursday

Today was one of those days that anybody wanting to improve fitness simply dreads. I woke up with back pain in addition to the knee pain. I could not run in the morning. I could barely walk all day, so I decided to give my body some rest. I got home and did two TENS treatments and some Tiger Balm on my back. Heading to the Chiropractor tomorrow.

Friday

Still not doing well. lower back spasms were the norm this morning, so no running or even walking around the neighborhood. Went to the Chiropractor for an adjustment. He thinks I may have another ruptured disc and told me to quit running; I am taking it under advisement. back to see him on Monday. I feel bad for my poor dogs that have not gone out for a walk since yesterday morning (they did go out to the back yard, of course, but it is not the same for them). And with this nasty weather we are having, tomorrow looks like another day without a walk (we are supposed to have rain, sleet, and snow -- which for here means nasty ice).

Saturday

I managed to walk today despite the cold weather. No jogging yet. My back is still tender; at least no spasms today. I am giving myself one more day of rest before restarting my activities. I may just walk tomorrow and do some Yoga at home (unless I can find a studio with a good Yoga class).

Sunday

My back feels quite a bit better. Not quite normal, but not too bad. My right knee continues to give me trouble, but it is far more manageable. I did some light walking with the dogs and not much more. I think tomorrow will be a good test for starting my exercise routine again.

Happy 2017!

As it is often the case for many, I start he year with the clear intention of working on my health. I have several goals that should all result in better health (including lower weight). My primary objectives are:

• Increased physical activity (cardio and strength training). Although I have been jogging regularly in the past, I am going to push myself a bit more on the cardio end and a lot more on the strength training end.
• Better nutrition, especially concerning tracking everything I eat. I will focus on eating more fruits and vegetables, and avoid all processed food.
• I will do more meditation and more Yoga on a weekly basis.

Today I started the year with an eight-mile jog — the longest I have jogged in quite a while. I used a couple of Podrunner's mixes to help keep me going for 2.5 hours. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

I am also back active with SparkPeople.

Links:

• Podrunner: look for the Mixes link. Today I used "Varied Tempo" tracks: 
• 140-160 BPM Bass Camp
• 140-160 BPM Bottom Five
• SparkPeople:

Detachment

I came across this story yesterday (I cannot recall where I saw it), and I think it is brilliant: A quick online search reveals that it is "The Gerbil Story" by Melody Beattie:

One day, my son brought a gerbil home to live with us. We put it in a cage. Some time later, the gerbil escaped. For the next six months, the animal ran frightened and wild through the house. So did we - chasing it.

"There it is. Get it!" we'd scream, each time someone spotted the gerbil. I, or my son, would throw down whatever we were working on, race across the house, and lunge at the animal hoping to catch it.

I worried about it, even when we didn't see it. "This isn't right," I'd think. "I can't have a gerbil running loose in the house. We've got to catch it. We've got to do something."

A small animal, the size of a mouse had the entire household in a tizzy.

One day, while sitting in the living room, I watched the animal scurry across the hallway. In frenzy, I started to lunge at it, as I usually did, then I stopped myself.

No, I said, I'm all done. If that animal wants to live in the nooks and crannies of this house, I'm going to let it. I'm done worrying about it. I'm done chasing it. It's an irregular circumstance, but that's just the way it's going to have to be.

I let the gerbil run past without reacting. I felt slightly uncomfortable with my new reaction - not reacting - but I stuck to it anyway.

I got more comfortable with my new reaction - not reacting. Before long, I became downright peaceful with the situation. I had stopped fighting the gerbil. One afternoon, only weeks after I started practicing my new attitude, the gerbil ran by me, as it had so many times, and I barely glanced at it. The animal stopped in its tracks, turned around, and looked at me. I started to lunge at it. It started to run away. I relaxed.

"Fine," I said. "Do what you want." And I meant it.

One hour later, the gerbil came and stood by me, and waited. I gently picked it up and placed it in its cage, where it has lived happily ever since. The moral of the story? Don't lunge at the gerbil. He's already frightened, and chasing him just scares him more and makes us crazy.

Detachment works.

Today, I will be comfortable with my new reaction - not reacting. I will feel at peace.

Starting a Revolution

Today, I welcome you to join me in a new movement, a revolution to transform each human being.

The challenge is simple. Each of us can stop putting labels on other human beings. No more Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians; no more Caucasians, African-Americans, Irish-Americans, Native-Americans, Asian-Americans, or any other -American label; no more gay, lesbian, trans, bi, queer; no more fat, skinny, beautiful, ugly. Simply, no more labels. We are all human beings. That is the only acceptable "label" (unless you are not a human being, of course).

As you go through your day, catch yourself before you label anyone else anything at all, and simply replace the original label with "just human."

#NoLabels #JustHuman

Do all the good …

Good words to keep in mind in the weeks and months ahead.

It is a Process

As the reality of the election results settles on the USA, I keep reminding myself that governing is a process. It is not a battle or a war, but a process of selecting those that are supposed to serve us. If the process is broken then we need to take responsibility and do what we can to fix the process.

Fixing a process can take enormous amount of work. It requires discipline and willingness to be mindful, inclusive, and civil. It demands the willingness to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to work with each other. It is not an arena where there are winners and losers; everyone must benefit, it must be a win-win proposition.

My heart is heavy and I cried with worry about the election results. I hope we can all conquer our fears, control our anger, and be ready to work harder than we have ever worked so that we can fix our broken process.

We need to unite to ensure everybody's peace, use our love potential to help everyone around us, and fight the tendency for complacency. Nobody wins unless everybody wins.

We do have a choice

I have been keeping low during the current campaign once Bernie Sanders conceded to Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.

Bernie is gone

Sadly, Bernie is gone. In a very real sense he abandoned the revolution he started. He turned his back on his principles and "joined the party line" with a fear-causing message: Trump is evil and we must do everything we can to stop his run for the presidency.

From that point on, the talk about the values and principles that we, the Bernie supporters, fought for and were excited about, ceased to exist. Our hopes and dreams for a better form of government, one based on honesty and fairness, were betrayed.

But all is not lost. As the dust settled following the collapse of the Bernie campaign, a real choice became clear. For me, the Green Party of the United States represents hope for the future. I am not sure that there is much hope for the 2016 presidential election; too much energy was used up by the Bernie movement. However, we can begin preparing for 2020, and also focus on local and state elections.

A fear-less campaign

I believe it is time to transition from political campaigns based on fear, to those based on values, principles, and clearly defined goals and plans. For the most part, the Republican and Democratic parties do not provide that platform. As soon as they are put on the spot, they revert to fear-mongering.

Why the Green Party

I am choosing the Green Party because it has the same principles/values that the Bernie campaign had. The ten values listed there are of paramount importance to our society and our planet. It is time to shift away from a "greater profit" mentality and start thinking in terms of our "common benefit."

Above All

Above all, I hope everyone participates. We need everyone to cast a vote, to voice an opinion in a cordial, respectful manner, and to listen to the opinions of others in similar fashion. Then, and only then, will we be able to have an open dialog, to negotiate and compromise, and to work together for the common good.

Links

• Green Party website
• NPR Interview with Dr. Stein
• NPR article on Dr. Stein and the Green Party
• Green Party principles/values

The Cow & The Ice Cream

In the current election cycle in the USA, and probably in many other countries, we would be well served to remember the story I received in an email today. I have copied it below.

My thoughts:

• There is no free lunch; you cannot get something and expect it to come out of thin air. Politicians are great at making promises and not delivering them after they get elected. We must have a questioning attitude about all the promises we hear.
• Despite what the major political parties tell us, we do have more than two choices. We do not have to settle for one or the other. For some, the Libertarian Party may be a good match. For others, the Green Party would be a great choice. I suggest that making a choice based on fear is not in our best interest. If we choose candidate A mostly because we fear or dislike candidate B, then that is not a great selection.

Here is the story I received today:

We are worried about 'the cow' when it is all about the 'Ice Cream.'

The most eye-opening civics lesson I ever had was while teaching 3rd grade this year.

The Presidential election was heating up and some of the children showed an interest.

I decided we would have an election for a class president.

We would choose our nominees. They would make a campaign speech and the class would vote.

To simplify the process, candidates were nominated by other class members.

We discussed what kinds of characteristics these students should have.

We got many nominations and from those, Jamie and Olivia were picked to run for the top spot.

The class had done a great job in their selections. Both candidates were good kids.

I thought Jamie might have an advantage because he got lots of parental support.

I had never seen Olivia's mother.

The day arrived when they were to make their speeches.

Jamie went first.

He had specific ideas about how to make our class a better place. He ended by promising to do his very best.

Everyone applauded and he sat down.

Now is was Olivia's turn to speak.

Her speech was concise. She said, "If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream."

She sat down.

The class went wild. "Yes! Yes! We want ice cream."

She surely would say more. She did not have to.

I initiated the discussion that followed. "How did you plan to pay for the ice cream?"

She wasn't sure. But no one pursued that question. They took her at her word.

Would her parents buy it or would the class pay for it... She didn't know.

The class really didn't care. All they were thinking about was ice cream...

The Brick

The following came in an email this morning; thank go to my friends Fred Broughton, DTM, and Hellen Kelly, DTM, for sharing this great story. I hope you enjoy it.

I found the passage at this site: http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Love-Inspirational-Story/735215. It is a shorter version of what I received in the mail, and more to my non-religious liking.

The Brick

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his brand new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something.

As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and spun the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.

He jumped out of the car, grabbed a kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?" Building up a head of steam he went on. That's a $65,000 new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"

"Please mister, please I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do," pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..." Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around the parked car. "It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out off his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."

Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child said to him.

The man then watched the little boy push his brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long walk back to his Jaguar...a long slow walk.

He never did repair the side door. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention.

Great family rules

While visiting friends this weekend, I saw these great family rules on one of their walls:

I cannot read who the original author is. I tried to find it on the web. I am posting this without intent of copy right infringement and will gladly remove it if so requested (or I can post purchase information on behalf of the company). I will try to get more information on this as soon as I can.

Back Pain: what helps me

Warning: the following is not meant as medical advise because I am not a doctor. However, I have been dealing with lower back problems for several decades and the following things help me tremendously when I go through a flare-up:

• Over-the-counter pain medications such as Ibuprofen and Advil. You want to choose something that is anti-inflammatory and easy on your stomach. 
• Tiger Balm is a great ointment that relieves discomfort.
• A good TENS machine: this is the same technology used by many chiropractors and physical therapists, but you can get it at home. My recommendation: a model 7000 unit from tenspros.com. This unit comes with everything you will need to get relief. I am so sold on it that I have one in my car and one at home. Wherever I am, I can get relief. It takes me two to four 30-minute sessions to feel better when my muscles get so wound up that I end up with back pain. Please note that the electrode patches are re-usable. There are several types of electrode patches and today I finally used one designed for lower back treatment; I bought these several years ago but I had not needed them until now.
• Get regular (monthly or more often) chiropractic treatments. This will help keep you be properly aligned, and that is critical to your pain-free health. I have been visiting my chiropractor (Dr. Greg Bonham, in West Columbia, SC) since 1989. He has helped me through two ruptured discs and many instances of misalignments. I am now taking my kids to see him and they are experiencing the benefits of his treatments. My wife and my mom were both patients of Dr. Bonham.
• Stretching and Yoga: many times, lower back pain can be caused by tight leg muscles. Stretching several times per day helps me stay pain-free or gets me back from that point when pain flares up. I found this page at Simple Organic Life that has the stretching exercises that help me the most. Add a "Cat-Cow," "Cobra" and "Child's Pose" from Yoga and you will benefit from great preventive stretching (or a quick fix when things get tight).
• A hot bath with Epsom Salts (perhaps adding a few drops of essential oils such as lavender or rosemary or peppermint or all of those).
• A massage!

I hope these suggestions help you be pain-free, active and happy!

BAM: Customer Service?

Update # 2: One of my friends spoke to the staff at a different BAM store and they were surprised about what they were hearing and told my friend that they would never get away with that type of behavior or practices. One of them said: "So, that's how they get out so early!" Which told my friends and I that this was a local management decision and that the management of that store in Sandhills obviously does not care about their customers (which confirmed our previous impression). We decided that our loyalty was betrayed and we will not to go back there.

We have tried several places for coffee and, personally, I am sold on Panera. Everybody's attitude there is super positive and friendly, the coffee and pastries are great, and the atmosphere is cozy and light. Good bye Sandhills BAM, hello Sandhills Panera!

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

Update #1: A representative from BAM contacted me within hours of posting this entry and apologized. Less than a day later, the District Manager contacted me via phone. Both of them offered their apology for our bad experience and promised to remedy the situation. We were even offered a free cup of coffee for our trouble.

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

I rarely complain about things. It is not one of the activities that I consider productive. And I rarely write about problems I have with companies or suppliers, but I am making an exception about the rude and unwelcoming treatment two friends and I experienced at Books-A-Million at the Sandhills Mall.

My friends and I have been meeting at the BAM in Sandhills for several years now. We get there at 7:30 PM on Wednesdays and we leave when the store closes. We drink coffee and talk. We do not cause trouble and we are always cordial with the staff. A couple of months ago the barista started to put chairs on tables around 8 PM, an hour before closing. This made us uncomfortable. Two weeks later the same thing happened and we made the comment that doing so was giving us an un-welcomed feeling and may give potential customers the signal that the coffee shop was closed. The barista continued putting chairs up regardless. I complained to the store manager and she indicated she would take care of it.

Last night, again at 8 PM, a new barista started putting chairs up on tables and, essentially, shutting down the place. I complained and she said she was doing what her manager had told her to do. So, I told my friends that we were no longer welcomed at BAM's Joe Mugs and that I was not coming back.

So … beware. In my opinion, the Joe Mugs coffee shop inside Books-A-Million in Sandhills is not a welcoming business that cares about its customers. It only makes me wonder if the same attitude prevails in other parts of the bookstore. Considering that the staff was vacuuming the front door area at 7 PM (something they normally did at 9 PM) I am guessing that it is. BAM may be saving a few dollars by not keeping their staff working after 9 PM, but they are also pushing customers away with this unfriendly attitude.

Is it any wonder that regular stores are not very profitable and cannot compete with online stores? At least if I buy books online I don't have to deal with a loud vacuum cleaner interrupting my shopping experience, or the unwelcoming feeling of staff putting away chairs an hour before closing time while my friends and I are having a pleasant conversation.

Rudeness has a price attached to it, and the BAM store in Sandhills has rudeness on sale at their store … but I am not buying any.

Oh, and don't try calling the Customer Service 800 number. You cannot talk with anyone there to share your experience.

Just five minutes

Do you ever find yourself stuck with a task that you just do not want to do? The thing sits there, festering away, undone and mocking you for your procrastination!

The folks at AE (Asian Efficiency) recently mentioned a nice strategy that my kids and I have used for years: the five minute rule. Pick your most dreaded task (for example, folding laundry) and determine that you will do that for no more than five minutes. Set a timer for five minutes and then do that dreaded task until the timer goes off. At the very least you would have made some serious progress on that to-do; and most times you know you are so much closer to finishing it that you just keep going.

The trick is to just get started!

We have used this idea for cleaning our house, doing dishes, etc. Try making it fun by doing a 5-minute relay game: one person starts and does the task for just five minutes, then the next person takes over for five minutes, etc. Great team work and a nice way to share the load.

Some tasks may need a 10-minute lapse instead of just five. The nice thing is that you (and your team) can set the work time to whatever you want. The important thing is to get started and make as much progress as possible.

And this idea lends itself nicely for competitions. For example, who can clean the most windows in five minutes? The winner gets a reward. :-)

In the end, what is important is that progress is made, even if it is in five-minute chunks.

Reading faster and more efficiently

It is not all about speed now, is it? The lure of speed reading is not only to read faster but to also increase our understanding of the material. Here is a nice article on how to improve our reading efficiency: Systematically Skim Books to Learn Better

Page-Turners and Cliff-hangers

Do you want to give your productivity (and creativity) a boost? Then go over to this great (short) article and read about a simple technique that is sure to help! I have used this methodology for years and it really does work (and it is easy and it is free!).

Page-Turners and Cliff-hangers Technique

The End of Plenty

NPR's "Fresh Air" show of June 8 was truly captivating, especially the first segment concerning the book "The End of Plenty" by Joel Bourne. Here is the link to the show in case you missed it.

Mr. Bourne makes some very insightful points about our food production models. I was particularly interested in the fact that GE/GMO crops have not been found to produce significantly higher yields than unmodified versions. If this is true and we add to it the fact that there is evidence of human DNA alteration from GMO products, one has to stop and wonder what benefit (other than huge profits for companies like Monsanto) this altered products bring us. Here are some references:

• DNA From Genetically Modified Crops Can Be Transferred Into Humans Who Eat Them
• DNA from GMOs can pass directly into humans
• How GMO Foods Damage Human DNA

Another disturbing aspect of the report is the prospect that regardless of our advances, we will not be able to produce enough food to feed all of humanity 50 years from now. That is a scary thought if you just stop and think about it. Part of the problem is that we are taking an enormous amount of our crops and using them to feed our cars instead of feeding people. In the process of trying to maximize profits, we are overusing pesticides and fertilizers disregarding the damage to the soil, rivers, lakes, oceans, and all the eco-systems connected to them.

Coincidentally, yesterday I also came across this video from Conservation International:

The most powerful point: if we keep this up, we may not destroy the planet, but we may destroy our species.

Shameful corruption

On my way home yesterday I listened to a report on NPR about how the American Red Cross raised $500 million after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and how Haitians are still living in horrible conditions five years after the disaster.

Here are pertinent links:

• NPR report: In Search Of The Red Cross' $500 Million In Haiti Relief
• ProPublica report: How the Red Cross Raised Half a Billion Dollars for Haiti and Built Six Homes

This is an example of an organization that has grown to the point of being poisoned by corruption and inefficiency. I have seen this in the Red Cross since the 1970s in my native Mexico. I saw a little of it in my dealings with it in Upstate NY as a member of the EMS community. And now these reports show that the magnitude of problems with the Red Cross are enormous.

Personally, this reinforces my hesitation to contribute to this organization. I will not send money to them, and I am questioning my commitment to donate blood. I know they sell my blood and platelets (to the highest bidder?). How much of that money goes to serve the community or help the poor and those in need? The more I read on that the more doubts I have about their operational model.

Perhaps it is time for all of us to research the Red Cross and demand much more accountability and transparency. They need to do the right thing at the right time, not the things that look right but solve none of the problems at hand.

The dangers of Contra

For the last few years I have been involved in a seemingly innocent and fun activity called Contra dancing. I invite you to watch this video to get an idea of what Contra is all about, then come back and read the rest of the blog posting.

So, in no particular order, here are the dangers of Contra dancing:

• It is addictive — oh, sure, at first you can go once a month to the local dance and be happy with just that. But then horrible things begin to happen. By Wednesday morning you begin to have withdrawal symptoms. When there is no local dance scheduled for that weekend, you start looking for dances in nearby communities. Soon you find yourself driving one, then two, then three hours to a dance. In my case, I started with Lake Murray Contra (thanks to my friend Robin), and then to Columbia Contra events. Soon we were going to Charleston, SC, and Charlotte, NC, for some dances. Now, I routinely go to dances in all those places plus Greenville, River Falls and Spartanburg (website coming). The addiction is so bad that I find myself missing the Contra dance on Monday instead of Wednesday. See how bad it is? And now I am thinking maybe I can drive to Atlanta or Florida for a dance when there are none in my areas. Bad, isn't it? And don't even get me started on Contra weekends! I attended my first weekend-long event this April (The Palmetto Bug Stomp in Charleston, SC) and now I keep looking forward to more weekend-long events!
• It disallows any sense of inactivity and boredom. If you are a coach potato, being exposed to Contra dancing is a bad idea. You will quickly find yourself wanting more activity. It will start with one dance per month, then two per month … soon you will want to start running and lifting weights. And you might as well cancel your cable subscription and sell your TV(s). You will not have time or desire for those things.
• It makes you new friends even when you don't expect them. Picture this: you show up at a Contra dance having 20-30 friends. After just two or three hours you leave the dance with 50 more friends. Oh, but it does not stop there.  Wait until you attend a weekend event -- then your circle of friends grows exponentially. It can be exhausting having these many friends! And some even bring you into their homes and make you part of their family just because you are a Contra dancer.
• As if all the above was not enough, your sense of community gets inflated almost as much as a politician's ego at a political rally. Soon you find yourself volunteering to be a Board member for one … two … three or more groups. You volunteer to do events. And someone gets you started as a Caller. It is all very dangerous, I am telling you!
• You will be forced to learn new skills — not on the dance floor, as Contra dancing is nothing more than fun walking to fantastic music, but in many other areas. For example, if you start calling, your memory will improve, you will learn to modulate your voice, improve your listening skills, and work on having great timing and rhythm.
• You will be forced to give up on perfection and focus on having fun. Dancers, callers, organizers, musicians — they have all abandoned the concept of perfection and embraced the joy of having fun, laughing at all the goofy stuff that happens, and moving on quickly so that the moment can take over and fill your heart with joy. Contra teaches you to be in the here and now; what happened a moment ago is gone and what may happen tomorrow has no room in your mind and heart. The only thing that matters are the people you are with and the fabulous music you are dancing to. You focus on the here and now or the group will bring you there very quickly. Beware: Contra dancing is pure mindfulness in motion.
• You will develop smile muscles you never knew you had.

I am sure there are many other potential dangers of Contra dancing that I may have missed. If so, please feel free to comment and let me know what perils you have encountered in your Contra dancing journey.