Today there are lots of things I could write about. A couple of long-term Congresspeople are facing ethics violations which could result in criminal prosecution. Illegal aliens are marching in the streets demanding rights granted to American citizens. Our economy is struggling to grow. Our elected politicians are enriching themselves feeding at the public trough. Oh, there are a lot of things I could write about today, but instead I am going to shift gears.
Like most of you I receive forwards on my e-mail. Many are political, some are funny, some are racy, but some are down right inspirational. I received just such a forward this week. It was sent to me by my daughter, Heather. The message was about dancing.
Now if any of you have ever had the misfortune of seeing me dance, I apologize right now. I just never mastered it. But the message of the forward was not about the fine art of ballroom dancing or any of the moves and steps that require talent. No this was about how we should deal with everyday situations and problems. Too often we put off using the good china. Too often we leave the good shirt hanging in the closet waiting for the right time to wear it. All too often we are guilty of putting off life until one day we wake up and it is too late. Somebody once said that life is something that happens while we are making plans for something else.
Some time ago Lee Ann Womak recorded a song entitled. “I Hope You Dance”. The chorus has these lines:
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance.
My message today is I hope you dance. Have you ever stared into the mirror worrying that you hair just isn’t looking right? Your clothes don’t fit right. You struggle with it but nothing seems to work. Guess what? You are probably the only person on earth who believes your hair or your clothes aren’t right. Everybody else is dealing with their own problems and how your hair looks isn’t one of them. Some of us spend our lives building bridges that we never have to cross. We worry about issues that never become the problems we thought they would. We should instead be dancing.
Every culture of mankind since our beginning on this earth has danced. Early man danced to try to deal with things he couldn’t understand. Other cultures danced to overcome fears of pending battle (war dance??). Many cultures danced to celebrate the harvest, or a birth, or the change in seasons. Most just danced because they were happy.
Today I fear we don’t dance enough. We see the problems of the world and we are often overcome. How could somebody dance in the face of such difficult issues? The reality is that dancing just might be the best remedy to many of the problems we see in the world.
Another verse of Lee Ann’s song is:
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leaves you empty handed
If you get a choice to sit it out or dance,
I hope you dance.
To me to dance is a metaphor to live. Today I challenge you to live. Quit putting off the things you want until someday. Let someday be today. And if you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance. I hope you dance.
Ron Scarbro July 30. 2010
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3 comments:
Ron, It's nice to see you have written something so universally positive. Regarding someone once said...if I'm not mistaken that was a line from a John Lennon song,"Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." It is from a song he wrote to his son Sean. It too represents your message. Unfortunately, as in real life, bad stuff happens. Not long after he wrote this song, Lennon was gunned down by an assassin in New York. I'm also reminded of a song I had the pleasure to perform at your daughter's wedding. It also exemplifies your message of hope. "May God bless and keep you always; May your wishes all come true; May you always do for others and let others do for you; May you build a ladder to the stars and climb on every rung; May you stay forever young. This of course is from the genius of Bob Dylan, a local Minnesottan I think. At any rate, nice to see a different tone to your writings. Keep up the good work. We will miss you at Jeremy's wedding.
One of my regular readers, Barb, who herself is a published author, has offered a quote from a book she is currently writing. That quote is "When you are walking on thin ice, you might as well dance." I thought all of you who read this would enjoy her quote as much as I did. Thanks Barb and good luck with your new book.
Ron
Daddy as you know, I love reading and sharing your blog. As you raised me right, I even often agree with you. I am touched and blessed that you wrote this piece.
I loved Barb's comment as well. "If you are already walking on thin ice, you may as well dance." Great stuff.
I was reading Uncle Capey's comments (David to the rest of you) and remembering back to his singing at my wedding. You both singing. Loving that memory.
Love to you all. The kids are very excited to see you in the coming days. Heather
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