The other day, my best friend invited me to join her and her little girls at their music class. Her oldest, (let’s call her “E”), three years-old, sat in my lap. Her youngest, not even one, sat in hers.
Together we sang songs, played instruments, kept a beat by tapping the floor and clapping our hands. We even got to rock out with rainbow ribbon streamers to some awesome Fleetwood Mac. (It’s a pretty hip class! Very California.)
image via Kids Matter
The most precious thing about the whole day, though, was watching my friend’s three-year-old dance with complete abandon. When all the kids were huddling close to their mommy’s legs, E was in the center of the circle, dancing. When the other kids looked around to see what everyone else was doing, E was jumping, smiling, walking up to the other kids and inviting them to join her.
And it got me thinking... How can we be more like that in our adult lives? I thought about my own life. In what areas do I metaphorically stand on the sidelines, clinging to knees? In what areas would it serve my soul to be brave, hear the music, and just dance?
image via @Chrissy_Cam
We have been encouraged not to veer to far from center, to not rock the boat, to fit into certain boxes. But that's not what souls are meant to do.
What if we were to not worry so much as to what others thought, and just had the confidence to be bold, take risks, and show vulnerability--just the way children do?
Maybe your “dance” is quitting your job, or asking for a raise, or saying I love you first, or initiating a hard conversation, or creating art, or starting yoga.
Maybe we won't be good at it. Maybe we’ll look stupid. Maybe we’ll get laughed at. Maybe someone will tell us we don’t look good in shorts and so you don’t wear them for SEVEN YEARS. Even when in the sweltering heat. (Or maybe that’s just me.)
Maybe it will be enough potential for ridicule that we end up staying small FOREVER.
Or maybe not. We might feel free.
Here’s the thing: We all have our THING we do or don’t do because someone ELSE said so.
But, really. THAT’s dumb.
So how about this?
However it looks, let's just dance. Me included. Let’s be true to ourselves and our journeys and do the things that rest deep in our hearts, the things we've let others steer us from, even though they are important to us. Let’s be like a child in that sense--led by our hearts without fear.
Make a date with yourself to paint your canvas, or have the conversation, or take that class, or go buy shorts, for heaven’s sake.
I'm curious...What is your THING? Where are you standing on the sidelines waiting for permission? How can you let go and just dance?
Leave a comment below and let’s keep the conversation going with encouragement and support!
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