This post is the last of my ten-week‘Summer Music Series‘:a collection of articles inspired by some of the songs and music lyrics that inspire me and make me think… Sign up here to make sure you get future posts: my weekly articles are my free gift to you, and when you sign up you’ll also get a complimentary copy of my Dreamsmith Guide to Creating a Life You Love.
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When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a ballerina. There was something so graceful and pretty about the way those dancers floated across the floor, and oh, those tutus and pointe shoes! Now that I think of it, it wouldn't do to have just ANY tutu and pointe shoes; they were going to have to be pink, of course. That's the kind of ballerina I wanted to be: a little pink puff of grace and wonder.
My little sister and I did get to take ballet lessons...sort of. There wasn't a lot of money for extras like that when I was growing up, but Mom did manage to get us into an 8-week introductory ballet class at the local library. Yup, the library. Not exactly Juilliard, but our 6- and 4-year old selves were pretty tickled to be able to wear our hair in buns and have the chance to plié and twirl to our little hearts' content on those Saturday mornings.
I never did get my pink tutu or pointe shoes, but I did get the chance to dance. And my dreams of being a ballerina changed enormously as I grew up and discovered all kinds of different things that I was interested in too.
The ballerinas in Lee Ann Womack's video for I Hope You Dance reminded me of my childhood dreams, but this post didn't start out to be about ballet. The lyrics in this song (which I do hope you'll take a listen to, or at least read here) are of course a metaphor for how to life your life.
Take a look at some of the randomly-selected lines from I Hope You Dance that resonate most with the message I want to impart in today's post:
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
When one door closes I hope one more opens
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin'
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin'
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance...I hope you dance.
Even if ballet is nowhere on your list of desires, I hope that you'll take those chances in your life. I hope that you'll never settle. I hope you always feel a sense of wonder in your life, and appreciate every breath. I hope doors open for you. And when you get the chance to sit it out or dance...
I hope you dance.