MOUNTAINTOP

The worst thing about a fabulous vacation – especially one out in the backcountry where your world consists of trailheads, pine trees, water crossings, snow drifts and those infamous mountain views – is coming home. Colorado to Missouri – 14 hours…yesterday I sat in total contentment by the mesmerizing sight and sound of the Big Thompson River that runs through the middle of Estes Park, sharing company only with one local fisherman who had just reeled in a 14 inch rainbow trout, that he kept in a small eddy on a stick while casting out for one more to add to what I was sure would be his dinner. Today I sit in my bedroom, on the floor looking out my sliding glass door that opens out onto my deck surrounded by Missouri oaks and elms. The sound of the river is replaced with neighborhood lawn mowers, and the thought of venturing out into the hustle and bustle of the real world to go buy food for dinner is not appealing to me at all, much less a full day of work tomorrow.

How can seven days away change one’s outlook so much?? We spent only 5 of those seven out on the trail, trekking from “inn to inn” through the eastern half of Rocky Mountain National Park. Averaging just around 10 miles per day with a light-weight pack, a camera and a topographic map, we experienced everything from pine needle paths along rushing creeks, to challenging treks across steep open snow fields and drift covered trails, to magnificent views at 11,000 feet. Experiencing a slightly different type of trekking in that we weren’t carrying stove, tent, sleeping bag and food, our journey each day consisted of traveling between preset lodging points rather than reserved campsites. Our main luggage was transferred between locations, and with breakfast served beforehand, we left each morning with a lunch, a map, and whatever gear or clothing we needed for that day’s adventure. At first, the self-sufficient backpacking purist in me originally thought of this “inn to inn” style of hiking to be a bit on the “wimpy” side of things, but after trekking 45 adventurous miles in boots, cleats and snowshoes, sharing very little of our trail with anyone else, I settled quite contently into being spoiled by a hot shower, a good meal and not having to set up camp each night. From small B&B’s to historic old lodges, the variety and uniqueness of lodging each night became a new exploration and discovery in and of itself.

I have always loved the mountains – who doesn’t? Every time I spend any amount of time in them at all however, coming home is equal to dragging myself out of bed at 4am or facing a pile of paperwork months behind. I live in a beautiful little neighborhood in southwest Missouri and with the privilege of owning a dance studio, I hold a healthy passion for teaching others to dance, which is how I make a living, but there is a sense of adventure for the outdoors that nearly always trumps any other pursuit in my everyday life.

It is fascinating to me that whether I am hiking in the far backcountry of the great Rocky Mountains, or just taking a stroll down the farm roads of rolling hills in Missouri, the most beautiful, pleasant and soothing things are always centered around God’s creation – ALWAYS! The architecture of different houses is enjoyable to look at, and monuments, structures and manmade things can certainly be amazing or works of art in their own respect, but nothing compares to the greatness of God and what HE, and only He, can, does and did create. It is unmatched! The sound of wind, the sweet smell of spring, the brightness of a clear blue sky, or the depth of puffy clouds layered in various shades. The uniqueness of each bird call or the shape and color of every leaf, flower, and blade of grass. Creeks that rush, wind and fall, rocks that carve out whole sides of mountains, and variations of climate at different elevations. Horses grazing in a meadow of tall green grasses, elk and big horn sheep leaning into the steep slope of a rocky crag. Marmots scurrying across a trail and eagles soaring above the elevations of everything terrain. Seasons, temperatures, weather; sights, sounds, and smells…there is not enough room to describe the beauty and uniqueness of all that creation holds – it is unfathomable, and I will agree with John when he cannot seem to capture all of Christ’s works into one document: In describing all the many things that Christ did, he ends by stating that “if they were written in detail, even the world itself could not contain all the books that would be written.” Maybe it is only appropriate that the God of creation, who is also the God of our salvation, be so consistently abundant and limitless.

If you’re like me, the things of everyday life encompass you EVERY day, and the opportunity to get out and be reminded of who we are in relationship to God and what we can accomplish apart from what He provides and paves the way for us to do, is limited at best. Don’t get me wrong; we area all created for great things, and the potential we have as creative, motivated, talented individuals is huge, but let us not forget a few things:

1.   “He is the Vine and we are the branches, apart from him we can do nothing”. (John 14)

2.   “To him who has been given much, much will be required. We will all someday give and account for the things done in the body whether good or bad.”

3.   We were created for God’s glory and to cultivate His kingdom, not given the ability to accomplish great things solely for our own selfish ambitions and the building of our own little worlds. We are His ambassadors, caretakers, servants and children, and we are to “reflect His glory”, not flaunt our own

Getting close to the top!

One of the hikes that my boyfriend Rick and I tackled on our Colorado trip was a peak climb up 11,007 feet to Twin Sister’s Peak. Aside from just an awesome trail overall, on a clear day, the trail highlights magnificent views of the big brother Long’s Peak that sits across the way to the west. At 14,000+ feet, with a much more difficult route to ascend and descend the summit by, Long’s is a more formidable climb and susceptible to greater amounts of weather related issues, snow, ice hazards, and wind. Because of this, the nearby Twin Sisters is a much easier climb and one that many trekkers make their choice. Such was the case for us. After our nice cozy stay at the historic Baldpate lodge, and a solid night’s rest from our previous day’s snowshoeing adventure, we were ready for our “small little peak climb”. Getting out early to tackle the four miles upward to the summit, our journey began on the gentle path paved with pine needles gradually moving up. From pine needle switchbacks to open rocky tundra, then through heavy snowdrifts and large sheets of ice melting from underneath, the trail kept winding up and up and up, challenging us in vertical ascent, slushy unstable snow and tricky trail finding. We finally stopped for lunch on the side of a slope holding a breathtaking view and assumed that it was just a short walk to the summit just above us. It was good that we lingered only a short time over a turkey sandwich because the “summit” above us served only as a platform for another huge section of the climb – the final portion of a giant boulder field that sat above tree line and encompassed the entire top of both “sisters” and the saddle in-between. With as much hiking as I have done in the past, I reminded myself that I “should have known”. Getting to the summit of the mountain is like reaching a goal – just when you think you’re almost there, you find out that you have one more hill to climb, one more obstacle to over come, or just simply a much longer way to go than you thought! Such was the case here, and I noted the small life lesson there to be cognizant of. What was truly to my amazement however, on the final portion of our ascent was the reality of how absolutely tiny we are in comparison to God’s greatness and His creation. The boulder field was only the final portion, but because it was completely exposed and so immensely widespread across the width of both summits, it took on a mammoth sized appearance. Rick could not find where I was hiking along in my brown colored long sleeve shirt, even though I was only a few hundred feet up the trail, waving my arms in plain sight as he called out to me. Later looking down on the winding path through the boulders below, against the backdrop of a tremendous view only captured at those high mountain top elevations, Rick and his bright red backpack all but disappeared amidst the entire scene, shrinking to about the size of an ant even though I couldn’t have been but a hundred yard from him! Pondering that thought of how high we were, how small we were, and how alone we were (we had the blessing due to snow covered trails much of the way of having it all to ourselves!) it struck me how fragile our lives really are in comparison to how we think. It was about that time that I decided to “scurry for the summit” harder. Leaving the winding path, I began “bouldering” straight up, climbing big rocks and covering vertical ground. It wasn’t long before my self-chosen trail took me out from behind the natural protection of rock and terrain and exposed me to the saddle stretching between both peaks. I almost fell over backwards from the first gust of wind coming up over that saddle from one side of the mountain to the other. I dropped down to my knees and leaned into it while inching down the mountain in retreat just a bit. The wind had gotten stronger as we move into the boulder field, but the gusts that came off that saddle were equal to anything that I might have felt had I been a dog sticking my head out the wind while going down the highway at 70 miles per hour! It was forceful!! I crept up again, and again chickened out, as I felt vulnerable being so high and exposed and unable to breathe as the wind about blew me off my feet. The trail seemed to be the better choice now as I looked down and saw Rick’s tiny figure having progressed past where I had left the path. The trail wound around towards the summit without exposing itself so much to the mid part of the saddle that I was on. Duh, I thought, now I know why! Hating to backtrack down, but realizing that my other option was to walk the length of the saddle in excessive and intimidating wind gusts, I chose to retreat down to the safer route of the trail. Now ahead of me, Rick started to feel the same gusts I had experienced as he approached the summit from the edge of the saddle. Reaching for his hat just in time, he stopped. I caught up and asked if we should stop there and head down. Stupid question posed to the male half of us – “Of course not”! So cautiously and a bit humbly we bore into the wind. Knees bent, crouched forward and leaning onto the rocks at times, we made the summit, and ducking for air between giant wind gusts caught the 360 degree view all around us. It was amazing, as all summit rewards are, and the resounding message between wind and scenery, a six hour climb and, the vulnerable feeling of standing (somewhat crouched) as such a small entity on the top of a something so huge, with wind so powerful was a message of how BIG God really is. The mountain we stood on was only one of thousands in the Rocky mountain chain and it’s 11,000 feet is nothing in comparison to Long’s Peak just across the way, not to mention something like 25,000 foot Everest in Himalayas. Still, it was an amazing feeling of accomplishment and adventure for completing the climb, coupled with a sense of humility and privilege, for the opportunity to have done so. At the top of that gust blown summit on a beautifully clear day, you could not help but recall the words of David penned so long ago when he wrote: “The mountains declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the works of His hands”. What a blessing to have enjoyed at that moment! Thank you God!

How small we are in comparison!

IN THE MIDST OF A STORM

“The heavens declare the glory of God…” I could almost swear that I saw the heavens open up this morning – the momentary glimpse of clouds parting much like I imagine the dividing of the Red Sea was quite amazing – a beautiful scene.

It is February 1st, 2011, and supposedly the snow falling outside is the result of a record winter storm system moving across the Midwest. With the entire town of Springfield pretty much closed down, and everyone camped in with plenty of food, batteries and gas for their generators, you’d think we all live in Alaska somewhere, rather than southwest Missouri, but the snow is coming down heavy and the wind is blowing it everywhere.

It’s not a frequent thing for me to be granted an entire day off, and neither is commonplace for a foot or more of snow to fall in the Ozarks, so when this first day of February brought in both variables together, I geared up in all my Colorado ski gear and headed out for a walk on the golf course with my boyfriend Rick. What a beautiful and pristine sight, even in the midst of frigid temperatures, complete cloud cover and blowing snow. Not even the geese were out this cold snowy day, and so even in the midst of a hollowing of wind, everything seemed silent and in hibernation. Our tracks were fresh and being covered up behind us as snow continued to fall, and wind gusts blew the freshest layer across the blanketed fairways in small, swift little tumbleweed like whirlwinds that carried scattered leaves with them.  I love days like this, and I appreciate God’s creation in all forms – rain, wind, snow and ice included – it is all beautiful and speaks of His limitless creativity, complexity and character. I love God, and the days of opportunity to praise Him are ALL OF THEM!

So in the midst of a giant snow storm, on top of a small unprotected knoll where visibility was low and the wind swept ice crystals across my goggles, I found myself content to just reflect on God’s goodness, enjoy the frigidness of the day and praise God for the very things that all come together in describing a very “bad day to be outdoors enjoying the weather.”

My walk continued across nine snow covered holes of the golf course and then, as I was just approaching the end of my loop, wind still hollowing as loud as a freight train, the most amazing thing happened. I stopped briefly to take one more look across the beautiful white and foggy snow driven scene before heading back to the house, when I noticed a small crack in the sky where a clouded bright spot struggled to be vaguely recognized. “Look”, I said to Rick, “the sun is trying to come out”. We both looked up and to our amazement it was if the heavens opened up before our very eyes and for a brief few minutes the wind stopped hollowing, the clouds moved rapidly across, over, and out of the way of the sun, and the snow ceased to fall. I looked and saw a line of blue skies scattered between clouds and the sun hitting the extremely fresh snow glittered, while shadows were cast as light hit the trees. Suddenly – very suddenly, the winter storm that had Rick and I walking with goggles on, faces covered, and backs to the strong wind, was momentarily at rest to the point where I unzipped the top part of my jacket, lifted up my goggles off my face and just soaked in the ironic and totally unexpected warmth for a moment. If we had been with the disciples in the boat crossing the Sea of Galilee in the midst of the raging storm that Jesus stood up, spoke and the winds suddenly stopped, I think it might have been a similar scene – it was truly amazing.

God spoke a lesson to me in the midst of that privileged moment of witnessing His handiwork, a lesson that I think we all struggle with at times – myself included for sure! The lesson is this. Life isn’t always sunshine, 70 degrees and full of flowery springtime weather, and just because it isn’t always that way doesn’t mean that God loves us less, cares for us less, or is somehow not present because we go through “storms” in life. If I can appreciate God’s beauty in the midst of a snowstorm, in spite of a rainy day or in the dead of winter when things don’t look all that pretty…if I can do that when it comes to nature, why can’t I do that in life??

I believe everything in nature is somehow a picture of who God is, how He works, or what His plan is. Do we ever go to bed at night wondering if the sun will come up when we awake? Do we worry, even when winter lingers on longer than expected if spring will come our be skipped this year?? When we look at naked trees in the winter, do we fear that maybe they’ll be that way forever, never to receive the growth of new leaves again? Of course not, we don’t fret over any of those things, for we know and can depend on their cycle. I think that just like God opened the skies suddenly in the midst of today storm, he can, and does reverse the things that seem so irreversible to us at times. We go through hard times, and seem to think there is never and end in sight. Clouds loom over our work, our relationship, our finances or our future and we assume they are permanently and forever blocking our view to the sun. We question God’s presence because of storms, rather than realizing that just above those clouds lies his presence and beauty, much like blue skies and sun presided a layer above the storm system covering our entire area today.

Faith. Faith is knowing that God’s presence does preside, and reign. Faith is recognizing and appreciating God through the various “weather patterns” of life. Faith is not questioning if God is there, but communicating with Him during good times and bad. Faith is knowing that just like the sun always rises, springtime always comes and dead looking tress spring forth new leaves each season, God is always at work, and always has a plan, and is never to be doubted.

STEP BY STEP….

I just spent a truly rewarding and fun-filled weekend with friends and dancers as we all shared a dose of training and wisdom from another wonderful friend and well-respected swing coach, Maria Blackwell. Maria and I both share a love for dancing, but even more than that, we connect as instructors, as fellow advocates for teaching, and as individuals that truly love to watch others learn, grow and excel in the challenging life skill development of dancing.

“Dancing for life” is a phrase that can have several meanings attached to it, and as the learning process takes us through all the stages of developing everything from footwork, to frame, to connection and musicality, the phrase ‘dancing for life’, sometimes translates into “Learning to dance takes an entire life!” And really it does……….

All of us at my small studio workshop this weekend learned details, finer points, subtle nuances, lead and follow techniques and communication skills. Our expert coach didn’t come with a bag full of flashy tricks, “Dancing with the Stars” choreography or three easy ways to learn dance fast. Rather she came with valuable nuggets of gold that are only access when mined out with chisel, hammer, time, tenacity and patience. She left us with vanilla skill building drills to be repeated, strict orders to abstain from fast-moving fancy patterns, and homework to be done at mercy of our own self-discipline and prioritizing. Basically she left us with the blueprint, as well as all the tools we need, for each of us to build on another level to our own individual dance “buildings”, and with that foundation laid, it is up to us to do the hard labor of construction.

With all that in mind, as I sit and reflect on putting together Maria’s material into a weekly format for my own students, I cannot help but be reminded again of how well dance and the process of learning parallels life with all its intricacies of relationships, personal growth, group interactions, and faith. “Dancing for life” becomes a phrase that describes the power that learning to dance has on changing one’s life, especially when one sees the growth within them being propelled forward alongside the growth occurring as their feet conquer new skills on the dance floor. Dancing is a lifetime sport – partially and mostly because for those who have caught the “dancing bug” or as my ballroom coach says, “have been sucked down the vortex of dance addiction”, dancing is just plain fun!! It is the best combination of social interaction, physical exercise, mental exercise and recreation that there is, and those who dance, do so over the course of a lifetime as can be attested by the many variations in age groups found on any particular social dance floor. Dancing is also a lifetime sport however because you truly can spend an entire lifetime learning it all – if there is even an “all” to attain to. Dancing, like life, is a never-ending learning process, and therein lies the double edged sword – always learning but never finished, always growing, but with more to be reached, always overcoming but always finding new challenges – the very things that make it hard and plenty of ongoing work, are the very same things that bring dancers to love it, for if it were some instant state of achievement, then the glamour and attraction to it all would quickly fade into a momentary thrill rather than a lifetime pursuit.

And so is life. There is seldom a day gone by that fails to hold out a challenge, trial, opportunity or small difficulty, and yet that same day can also hold victories, pleasures, joys, and appreciations. The two go hand in hand, and just like dance, life is a series of never ending learning experiences, some of which are hard, discouraging, and difficult to understand. I have been through periods in my own life where I feel like I am working so hard, yet never progressing  – it happens in dance and it certainly happens in life – three steps forward, only to slip two back, and while you’re slipping you wonder if the three steps forward were really forward steps at all! Sometimes it seems that everyone else around you is progressing further, faster and with less work than you are, and while you are hoping for that break, it goes to someone else instead, much like the person you were wanting to dance with goes and picks up someone else for that perfect song that you so desperately wanted to dance to!

As the struggle through some of life’s trials continues, we begin to apply some of our own wisdom and work towards improving our situation. We “self-train” and try to teach ourselves how to dance to the music we’ve been given, not realizing that in the midst of working out our dance steps of life on our own we quite possibly could be making things worse, not better. In the dance world, when we get stuck and find the need for some help, we call in a coach, and in life as time and trials still go on, we eventually call on God.

What I find to be an almost humorous similarity in scenarios though, is that much like my weekend workshop of instruction, God doesn’t solve our problems by handing us an instant bag of solutions free of work, or a sudden thrust of new living to make us appear better or more successful. No God comes in almost exactly like my friend and coach Maria – He comes with skills to build character over the long haul. He comes with a set of drills and exercises that focus on the basics of life and relationships, and not only does He withhold all the “fun stuff” at first, He also instructs us to get rid of much of the extra “frilly” and unnecessary stuff that we thought to be so important along our journey. He strips of the unimportant to create a greater sensitivity and attentiveness to the truly important, and then leaves us the responsibility of putting it into daily action and practice. God doesn’t just instantly “fix” our problems, or us, anymore than Maria fixes our dance in a one-weekend workshop. God teaches us how to improve, leaves us tools as well as the power of His Spirit to do so, and then says, “Go to work”. Just like dance, life is a process…..and never ending!

So if you’re going through the doldrums because the dance of life seems to be a struggle for you, appears to be working better for other people, or is at a point where progress just isn’t visible, spend some time with God, the ultimate “life coach” and review the tools that He has given us for growth. If we will practice what Jesus taught, then we will gain ground, even if that progress isn’t always readily visible. Training our bodies to dance is a tedious, long process, and training our bodies to be godly is no different. Both are choices that require regular practice, and both produce growth only as each level is completely worked through so as to prepare you for the next one – and don’t forget….both are often time consuming projects. With that in mind, don’t hesitate to train under the watchful eye and discipline of a good coach starting now! Regardless of your past, if one is willing to work, any good coach will gladly put in the time to help you get on the right course. The same of course is true of God who gladly picks up our burdens and guides our future steps, but trials in life or struggles in dance need not be the impetus for seeking out help and instruction. Living within the parameters of excellent and right training from the very start is much more advantageous, eliminating the painful and hard work in undoing the consequences of improper “footwork” from the past. Almost everyone in our weekend workshop shared the same thoughts as to “Why didn’t we start out this way to begin with”, or “I wish I would have begun this years ago…” What is true for dance is true for our lives – every long journey begins with a first step, and often it is that first step that we procrastinate with, for fear of failure, but the longer we put it off at the start, the longer it takes to arrive at our destination.

Once started, the reward of fantastic dancing, and the awesome feeling of solid perfect connection on the dance floor with music, partner, and skill is only achieved with regular attention and purpose. The reward of connecting with the God of the Universe is far greater and is even more achievable because He is with us and alongside us every step of the way – we just have to be patient, trust His coaching method and be obedient to His instruction over the long haul of life’s drills, daily practice and dance of life application! Maybe we can paraphrase the popular Bible verse commanding us to “walk in faith” and change it ever so slightly into “dance in faith” as life is a dance, and walking with God through life is one step of faith after the other…learning along the way….step by step!

 

 

 

Dancing Through Life

By nature I am a late night person – always have been. My parents always regretted that my bedroom lie directly above their own because in their words I was “ratting around all night”. In college my best study hours were from 10pm to 2am and for whatever reason I can remember several occasions where I would stay up half the night talking with a good friend and baking cookies or a cake or something crazy like that for a midnight snack.

My late night nature seems to match well with my current role as dance instructor and studio owner as many evenings are taken up with classes till the late hour and most nights find my head hitting the pillow well after midnight. Thankfully, I am not obligated to arise before the sun, and one of my favorite times is the quiet of a morning, not having to rush off to work at 7am and to enjoy reading out on the deck while waking up to my hot green tea and a piece of toast or cookie. These are my “quiet times”, my prayer times and reading and/or writing times.

This morning I took time to read one of my favorite daily devotionals, Oswald Chambers and found the entry today to be particularly practical and as always, applicable to my own life. The entry today speaks of how God chooses us to be a part of something big that He is at work doing, and in choosing us to be a part of His special work He is also growing us through the process and preparing us that we might be ready. All of us long to be chosen for something big in life and all of us seek that opportunity to contribute largely to another’s need, make a dent in some social injustice of our day, or to find that our lives reflect significance rather than just time gone by. We all truly want to live lives that count and fill our days with meaning. Do we want it bad enough that we’re willing to make the necessary sacrifices though, to live through trials and hardships, or to prepare ourselves for the tests that precede such privileges?

As a dance instructor I hear all the time from people who “want to learn to dance”, or that “have always wanted to be able to dance”. In conversing with individuals about dancing, a show like “Dancing with the Stars” often comes up and everyone seeks to be able to capture the Latin flair or Ballroom elegance that was displayed on television’s last episode. The desire to get out on the floor and dance with such grace and ease exists in us all much like the wish to sit down at a piano and just let our fingers effortlessly play out whatever piece comes to mind. However, are we wiling to put in the blood, sweat and tears, to get to that level?? Most of us are not.

We are the society of ease, comfort, instant gratification and ADD. We don’t have time to pour ourselves into much beyond the daily duties already crammed to together in our everyday agenda,, and we aren’t up for too many challenges that require so much work that the benefits aren’t instantly gained. I see it in students that come and go because after three easy lessons they aren’t ready for Hollywood’s “So you think you can Dance” show they opt to quit not realizing that learning to dance can have some challenges that require a small bit of perseverance at times. Those of you who dance know exactly what I mean – we have been there, struggling to emerge out of our two-left feet syndrome and wondering if we could ever just dance in public someday without embarrassing ourselves or our partner. We who dance have all been there, and we who have stuck with have all overcome. I maintain that anyone can learn to dance, and I haven’t found anyone that I cannot teach so long as they keep trying. If you stick with it you’ll never regret the process taken to get there!

I think that God is often times our ultimate instructor through life and that He has many things for us to learn; many lessons in store for us that would perfect us and mature us into better individuals in whatever roles we assume in life. I also think that He challenges us to be our very best, and doesn’t want to settle for mediocre individuals. God is choosing those who wish to “count the cost” to be a part of Heaven’s version of “Dancing with the Stars” and the invitation goes out to all who take Him up on it. People opposed to or turned off by religion usually reject the idea of having rules to live by or a set of “do’s and don’ts”. What isn’t often realized though is that everything in life possesses criteria or standards and it are these very ideals that allow for high levels of functioning or achievement to be met. My dancers that wish to compete recognize the need for me to address the smallest of details when it comes to perfecting a dance step or move. They realize the necessity of, and put in extra practice and coaching time to prepare them for that competition day. What is most rewarding to me on those competition days, is not whether they win, or even how they place. Although most of them do very well in comparison to other dancers, the thing most rewarding is the accomplishment of goals, the reward for having worked hard and the result of progress attained.

So dance and the accomplishment of it at every level is a life lesson. It is a lesson of setting out to achieve what you may not think that you can at first, and it is also a lesson of go after what you know you can, but at times along the journey get frustrated with. It is process of overcoming fears, the biggest one at times being the fear of failure.

Dance is a lesson of choosing to entrust yourself somewhat to a coach and of the willingness to abide by various “rules” not for the sake of restriction, but for the freedom of progress and growth. In this respect is it is a lesson of faith; of trusting that our Heavenly Coach might do some fine tuning of character, and that the struggle experienced during that process will yield magnificent and valuable results in the future.

This leads to the lesson that dance is of reward, because at every level, when the music is played, when the band starts up, or when the dance floor is open, those that took time to learn can get out and enjoy it all rather than just observe from the outside. Furthermore, the reward is ongoing because the learning is ongoing. You never stop growing in life, and neither do we ever stop learning in dance. There is always more to strive for or something new to achieve and the continuous growth yields ongoing rewards as each level attained becomes the platform for the next. We only stop learning or growing when we choose to quit. Never stop. Life is such a privilege and missing out on dancing through life’s opportunities is like allowing a fabulous evening of music played go by without stepping out onto the dance floor. Get out, enjoy the music and dance!

Why Dance for Life??

Dance for life! If you are a dancer then you probably see dancing as one of those hobbies, outlets, or activities that you will pursue for life. Twelve years ago I became surprisingly intrigued with a large group of two-steppers dancing and spinning around the floor with such ease and flow that when the opportunity opened up for me to learn a few basic steps, I was compelled to try it. Little did I know how a few attempts at stumbling steps was to lead me down a path that would re-direct my life. To make a long story short, my lack of dance as a child prevented any head start in learning how to make my feet do “quick, quick, slow, slow” down the dance floor in any kind of consistency, and even though I desperately desired to spin with the quickness and grace of seasoned dancers, I found myself very rotation challenged. Dancing was not easy for me at first – I mean I could make it around the floor and I could stumble through most of what was led, but as I look back I pity those poor guys that were leading me back in “Kelly’s remedial dancing days”. An avid woman of the outdoors and most adventure sports, including rock climbing, three-day horse eventing and whitewater kayaking, the learning curve of dance took me by surprise, and determined not to settle in for mediocre or quit altogether, I searched out an instructor and began the weekly schedule of private dance lessons.

Wow! From there, the choreographing of dance into my life began. Once a week lessons became twice, and one night out on a weekend, turned into three. Taking lessons merged into assisting a class on occasion and learning to two-step blossomed out into swing, ballroom and Latin as well. I can remember my friends questioning my lopsided free-time schedule of dance, dance, dance, and my parents wondering what “phase” I was into now, and although I did try to check myself and maintain balance, I knew dancing wasn’t going to be just a phase…dancing would be with me for life!

At the moment, dancing IS almost my life. I say “almost”, because even though I now own a studio, teach six days a week and am involved in everything dance related that you can imagine, I am still a girl of many passions, and I hold a ‘work hard, play hard’  belief when it comes to busyness in life. The beauty for me is that dance is now my work, my way of making  living, and my job, which I truly love. I love God and I love people, and after the long years of struggling with my own dance, I love to teach others how to master what I thought at times I never would. I am blessed to do what I love to do, although it takes lots of business marketing, long hours and many nights of sore feet! Dance right now is the “work hard” side. My momentary escapes from the dance floor find me “playing hard” on the lake with my boat and water ski, the river with my kayak and tent, or the back roads on my bicycle. So dance is my life as far as passion and career, but life is so much more than JUST dance.

Ironically, it is the lifetime learning of dance that teaches you about life, and that is what I have come to understand as the surprising “bonus” in becoming a dancer. Dance involves so many crucial elements that are integrated into our everyday life. Overcoming fear and anxiety, learning to cooperate with other people, partnership, teamwork, humility, submission, discipline, leadership, work ethic, commitment to a task and self-evaluation are just a few of the incredibly crucial life skill sets intersected upon, and dealt with as one learns to dance. I found this not only to be true in my own life but also in the many lives of students, couples and groups that I have taught and worked with over the years. If you are a dancer then you can relate – dancing changes lives, not just because a new hobby is formed, but because throughout the process of learning, a deeper unmet need, a hidden emotion, a personal bad habit, or an untapped potential is discovered, unleashed and dealt with. The challenge personally, the necessity of social interaction and the demand that certain rules and roles be adhered to, are each faced head-on when tackling dance, and the reason we so easily overcome things through dance versus other activities or therapies, is that we are so busy trying to figure out what to do with our feet, that we are oblivious to the changes and growth going on inside!

So as a die-hard dancer, an active and enthusiastic instructor, an observer of life changes around dance circles and a passionate writer, I have started this blog with the initial goal in mind of recording some of the insights witnessed or experienced on my own, and hope that it serves as an encouragement to others. You may or may not be a dancer, but dancer or not, everyone seeks to improve themselves, and so hopefully this blog can serve as a catalyst for some life changes, and along the way recruit some more to the dance floor as well! It is definitely a journey, but one well worth the trip holding many experiences, new faces and new life lessons to be garnered. So put on your dance shoes and let’s dance for life!