Sunday, March 14, 2010

Dance

A few years ago  ... I decided that I'd been told not to dance long enough. So I talked some friends into coming along for the ride and I began to dance. At first, free-style and fun ... then I decided I wanted to do some of the cool things I saw other people doing ... and signed up for lessons. I began slow ... with waltz and some social/ballroom kind of stuff. Then some country ... and then some Latin. There is a distinct hum in the background - the sound of dozens of people saying 'can't' or 'shouldn't' - the naysayers. But do you know how much fun I'm having? Do you realize that three or four nights a week I get a work-out that is not at all boring or unpleasant? Do you understand that I'm living life and squeezing every second of joy from it that I can? Do you see that I refuse to allow a moment of life pass by unlived? So I will never win a dance competition ... instead I'll laugh and make friends and treasure the moments. And, as they say ... "Dance like no one is watching." :)

"I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible. I choose to risk my significance. To live so that which comes to me as seed ... goes to the next as blossom. And that which comes to me as blossom, goes on as fruit." (Markova)

6 comments:

Melanie Sherman said...

Dancing is wonderful fun, great exercise and the social interaction is fabulous. I took ballroom lessons for years from a man in his 80s and most of the students were retired, and we all danced the evening away, keeping our bodies moving to the music and laughing at all our mistakes. Wish I could tag along with you.

Tess said...

Oh, Melanie ... I wish you were near enough to tag along as well ... what fun that would be!!

Loree said...

Yes that is a great piece of advice ... to dance like no one is watching. Thanks for your kind words on my latest post. Truly appreciated.

Julie Dao said...

What a beautiful reminder! I've always loved that piece of advice, dance like no one is watching :) Life is too short not to dance through it!

Tessa said...

Not only do we share the same name, Tess, but I also danced...for nearly 23 years! What a truly wonderous and uplifting post this is...thank you.

Most of all thank you so much for visiting my blog and for your lovely comments...it really means such a lot to me. Sorry I've been so appallingly bad at keeping up with you and other blogpals for the last few months. As you've probably gathered, it's all been rather dramatic...especially lately! Hopefully I'll be able to get back into the blog swing of things in a while - I miss it more than I ever imagined I would!

I'm slowly getting my trillions of photographs of our wonderful trip (except for the horrid dramatic end!) sorted out so will post about it all someday very soon.

In the meantime, I do hope all is wonderful with you. I send warm flurries of love and hugs. xx

LissaL said...

Tess, you are such an inspiration to us all in so many ways. Dancing is such a great way to free our spirits. We don't have to do it well (at least according to others opinions) But just follow the beat of our hearts! Have a wonderful week:)