Can I Have This Dance?
by thomaswfaulkner
Life is a constant flow. From the time we are born until the time when we leave our physical bodies, we are in motion. While we dance with our life, we find ourselves in situations to where we are able to choose the move we make and sometimes that next step is determined by life. Regardless of who takes the lead, it is important for us to remember that we have control over the responses of our environment. In life, sometimes we will get our feet stepped on, and sometimes, we will glide so gracefully across the floor that we are completely consumed in that essence of just doing.
I want to talk to you about that latter portion, but not in the context of pure bliss and compassion. No, it is quite possible to force our dancing partner to move a certain way and then become frustrated at that happenstance when things do not go as planned. This, my friends, is a game of take without give.
Alongside with our dance with life, we also share in these dances with the others who surround us. They grace our presence as they waltz into our life. Sometimes these dancing partners will dance with us for the remainder of our life under the title of spouse or family; and sometimes we will share a dance with someone who might fall completely out of our memory within a few hours.
Now that I have sort of “set the tune of our music,” do you know what kind of dancer you are? Do you seek to take control of every step in the movement? Do you allow yourself to be vulnerable to your partner and let them whim you into the direction of their choosing? Sure, letting go of control may be hard, but allowing yourself to be shared with another is the greatest sort of generosity one can give to another person.
There are times in which we close our eyes and picture that next move, but by chance our partner will twirl us around and completely change the pace of the rhythm. And at this point, we have options on what to do next. We can get angry and try to regain control of the situation and impose ourselves as a countermovement, but our steps can get bumpy and we can become entangled or step on our partners toes. In our fury, we can throw ourselves down and refuse to continue the dance, leaving the scene and sitting alone while the music plays….or we can let ourselves go and experience the moment.
Like I mentioned above, have the courage to face life, your partner, your job, your health, whatever it is and twirl with it! If you aren’t happy with the footwork, use that energy to propel yourself in a completely new direction. Don’t try and fight too hard because at the end of your life, it is not the point of the floor where you end up what matters, it is the dance that you shared with those around you.
Close your eyes…do you hear the music?
Share yourself with others and LIVE in that experience together…..because that final note may come sooner than you think.
Thank you for listening and May the Force be With You All.
