“Life – your life – is The Party to which you’re invited.  Show up and dance ’til you break the straps on your shoes.

That means refusing to sit out a number.  Dance them all and don’t worry about the steps.”

- Anita Renfroe

I am not a good dancer.  Really.  Except for a few swing moves I learned in high school during gym class and jazz choir.  But seriously, on my own I can’t dance.  And, I may alone on this, but dancing requires a great amount of courage and confidence.  I would guess I’m not the only one who is uncomfortable dancing in front of people.

I always wanted to dance though.  I remember wishing I could be on our high school dance and drill squad.  I still envy the athletic people I see dancing on tv.  It looks so freeing and so expressive at the same time.  And it looks like soooo much fun!  However, I realize that, like anything else in life, becoming a great dancer takes tons of hard work and practice.  A lot of sweat, a lot of pain and a lot of physical and emotional investment goes into mastering your craft.

It’s similar to going to college or graduate school.  You spend four years (or more) willingly reading, studying, learning, experimenting, and reporting on your chosen field of study.  Lots of exams to test your knowledge.  By the time you reach graduation, you have earned a degree of expertise.  The more you study and learn and test, the more of an expert you become.  Developing yourself takes patience and hard work.

This rings true in many areas of my life, not just my college degree or my stamping, but daily I am striving to develop myself into a better mom, a better wife, a better friend.  But most of the time, I find myself putting so much energy into developing as a person, I forget to enjoy the process.  I don’t notice the fun game my kids are playing with each other while I’m making dinner for my family.  Or, I’m so upset about cleaning up after my husband, I’ll forget to thank him for working so hard to support our family.

Which is why this quote by Anita Renfroe rings true with me:  to dance means to let go of your “to do” list and to leave the laundry piled up while you go out and live your life.  Ignore the standards that society has set, ignore the pressures in your daily life and just dance!  And once you’ve broken the straps on your shoes, kick ‘em off and dance barefoot!

I bet, that with a little practice, you’ll be dancing through your old routines in no time!