I Danced

 This post is a bit different from others that appear on this blog, however, I think the message is an important one for those of us who come from abusive or difficult backgrounds.  So often the music of our lives is silenced and we forget that we were born to thrive and yes, to dance.  Reconnecting to our lost selves involves learning to hear the music again and to dare to dance.  There is hope beyond the despair of what has happened to us so turn the music up and let's dance!

In the religious tradition that I grew up in, dancing was very much taboo and frowned upon.  My dad insisted that I be excluded from a square-dancing section of a physical education class when I was in school.  "Dancing" in the context of a religious concert was ok because it was considered to be an act of "worship."  But dancing with another in a religious concert was not ok.  Then it was about connecting with another human rather than an expression of a desire to connect with God.

Recently I went to my first secular (gasp) rock concert featuring a cover band for Grateful Dead music.  

The crowd included older "deadheads" as well as a younger crowd who enjoy the music of the 60's and 70's.  As I looked around the room, I was overwhelmed by the kindness, generosity, inclusivity, acceptance and joy I saw.  People were accommodating of each other and human connections abounded.  The thought occurred to me that Papa God would feel more at home in that crowd than in most churches.  So, I danced.

• Even with three left feet and a body unaccustomed to moving to the music, I danced.
• I danced with someone I care about and the shared connection to the music and our bodies was intoxicating.
• I danced for the sheer joy of being human, of being in a room with other humans--of joining in our shared humanity.
• I danced with joy and not quite abandonment (yet).
• I celebrated the connection that dancing creates between one's body and spirit.
• I danced as an embodiment of my complete selfhood and joyfully expressed that embodiment.
• By dancing, I gave myself over to the joy of being present with others in a shared experience of music and connection.
• By dancing, I entered fully into the joyful expression of others--a shared connection and intimacy.

I know why I haven't danced to this point in my life, but I vow to continue to dance with joy and with intentionality from this point forward.  I'm going to keep dancing in spite of bad knees, an aching back and arthritic stiffness.  I want to dance until the day I die.  I want to dance alone, with a significant other and with the larger gathering humanity.  And really, isn't connecting with one another one of the main ways that we connect with God, as we know her?  

Shall we dance?