Before you begin to think that I am crazy, just stop for a moment and think about the last time that you really let loose and did something fun and spontaneous. How long has it been? A few weeks? Months? Years?
I had an interesting conversation on Facebook tonight and it began with this quote, "Dance in your underwear, Run through the sprinklers, Act weird with your best friend, And just be crazy cause life is too short to be normal." During this discussion, some general silliness followed, leading up to me posting a link about a poem I had written several months ago called The Dance that I had originally posted on my poetry blog A Wave Will Rise on Quiet Waters.
It was amazing the response that I received from people in messages who didn't want to publicly comment, but who had to tell me a story of something similar that they had done.
In a world where we struggle to find peace, acceptance, growth, and even financial means, we so often forget to let go and have fun. I know that it's something that I have a difficult time with. It seems that in my life I am always so focused on being the responsible citizen & employee, the boss who leads by example, and the caring compassionate friend and family member, that I sometimes forget to let go.
It brings me back to a time two summers ago, when a few friends and I were doing our nightly walk / jog at the track. Somehow, some way, we each let go of the weight of our 'required maturity', and were having a cartwheel contest in the grass near the baseball field. Even as I write that, my mind reels at the thought - "What, oh what ... will their opinions be?" But I have to tell you that I hadn't let loose like that in a very long time, and the absolute sense of freedom was amazing.
No matter where it may be, no matter what you may do, we all need to find a way to let loose of the weight of expectation and truly allow ourselves to feel, to laugh, to dance, and sing.
When was the last time you:
truly laughed out loud with abandon?
Sang out loud?
Run through the sprinklers?
Or danced in your underwear?
What are some of the things that you do when you allow yourself the freedom?
The Dance
The house is quiet
She is all alone
The lights are dim
And the music is down low
Here in her solitude
There is nobody to care
She’s a world away from
All their whispers and stares
So she reaches into her heart
And she sets herself free
Becoming one with the music
Flowing into its sea
She breathes in its beauty
As it seeps into her soul -
Feeling its magic
With each sway & each flow
For one fleeting moment
It’s only her and the dance
A joining between music and self
in this moment of solitary romance
The house is quiet
She is all alone
The lights are dim
And the music is down low
Here in her solitude
There is nobody to care
She’s a world away from
All their whispers and stares
So she reaches into her heart
And she sets herself free
Becoming one with the music
Flowing into its sea
She breathes in its beauty
As it seeps into her soul -
Feeling its magic
With each sway & each flow
For one fleeting moment
It’s only her and the dance
A joining between music and self
in this moment of solitary romance
