I Hope You Dance

My baby girl, Isabelle, is nearly nine months old and when she is excited she kicks her feet so speedily that she looks like a professional clog dancer. On her first trip to the zoo, she became so excited when she saw the monkeys that she happily babbled and danced a little jig to express the sheer delight of seeing monkeys for the first time in her life. As I watched her joy the heavens whispered to me to enter the sacredness of this moment with my daughter.

Amit Ray wisely said, “Life is a dance, mindfulness is witnessing that dance.” Seeing Isabelle embrace the fullness of life created an opportunity for me to tap into the present moment and experience the dance of life with her.

Mindfulness has become quite the buzz word lately, but what does it mean? Mindfulness is the opportunity we have daily to pause, pay attention and enter the present moment. Mindfulness might be easy to define, but it is not always easy to practice. As I think about my own life, I am aware that my own shortcomings impede my ability to be mindful. When I am perfectionistic, critical, too busy, self-righteous, fearful or when I numb my feelings through overconsuming food or technology, it becomes impossible to embrace the miracle of life. What keeps you from tuning into the dance of life? It might be a different list for you. It could be negative ruminations, anger, envy, a strong inner critic, greed, a need for control or laziness that keep you from living mindfully.

On my wedding day, I danced with my dad to the country music song, “I Hope You Dance.”  Generally, country music is not my favorite music genre, but this nostalgic song usually provokes strong feelings within me. The song says:

Dance
I hope you dance

This song is beckoning us to not miss the precious moments of life. Just as it is important to process what prevents us from engaging in the present moment, it is also important to identify the practices that encourage us to live mindfully.

What spaces in your life help you to slow down and tune into the dance of life? Perhaps you encounter abundant life through cooking a feast, talking with a friend, creating a piece of art, learning an instrument, playing with children, practicing yoga or heading for the nearest hiking trail. Or maybe you live most fully when you are working in the garden, petting your pet, dancing to your favorite music or engaging in a leadership role in the community.

Please consider finding a quiet moment to do the following meditation. Bring the palms of your hands together in a prayer position and then place the thumbs of your prayer hands to your forehead. Then take a deep inhalation and exhalation and say out loud:
May I be intentional with my thoughts to engage in mindful living.
Then bring the thumbs of your prayer hands to your lips. Then take a deep inhalation and exhalation and say out loud:
May I commit with my words to participate in the dance of life.
Then bring the thumbs of your prayer hands to your heart. Then take a deep inhalation and exhalation and say out loud:
May my inner spirit guide me to practices that allow me to live in the present moment.

You may not literally dance in front of the monkeys at the zoo like Isabelle, but what mindful activities help you join in the dance of life? Possibly, it has been so long since you felt brave enough to live fully that you are not sure what your dance will look like. I certainly can not tell you what kind of dance to do. We are all different, but hopefully you will still find a way to dance and live life to the fullest.

I hope you dance,

Christy

A version of this article was originally published in The Mountain Mirror, www.mountainmirror.com