12-20-20 Dance to a New Day
Quote: “The rule is you have to dance a little bit in the morning before you leave the house because it changes the way you walk out in the world.” – Sandra Bullock
I know many of you know this about me but I will let you in on a little secret that some of you may not know: I am not a morning person.
It takes me a long time to wind down at night and so when I do sleep, I sleep hard. I snore like a freight train and that train is hard to get movin’ in the mornin’. Mark cautiously and carefully approaches me with a cup of coffee and tries over and over to wake me until he gets some sort of grunt. I can 100% guarantee you that the first thing I think about when I wake up is not dancing.
But once I get the train moving, I am unstoppable. I love looking at each day as another opportunity to change the world in my own little neck of the woods, in my own unique way. But I wasn’t born that way. I have been carefully watching and reading about what makes successful people tick. And I’ve held tight to some great advice I’ve heard along the way.
The first is a famous quote by Eleanor Roosevelt. She said, “Do something that scares you everyday.” Yikes! Just reading that might make some of us quiver. But the days I do follow her advice? They are the best days ever! The kids love it when I tell them I have a crazy awesome story to tell them about something that happened during the day. I am learning that life is scary yet so rewarding when we take even the tiniest of risks.
The second is a line from my pastor. He was reading a book about what characteristics all millionaires & billionaires have in common. There are 4 things they do every day: they rise early, they read, they sweat, & they face their fears. Some days I am lucky to do one of these things. Other days I can do all four. But I know that all of these goals will make me a well-rounded human…one that is physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally strong.
The third is this quote I came across from the actress Sandra Bullock. How you start your day, your week, your month, your year – it all leads to a rich life. Learning to dance invites a playful side of you to take on whatever comes your way. You don’t need to break out with a line dance or polka or waltz every morning – but maybe you do. Maybe you need to ask Alexa to play an 80s jam and get the whole family going before everyone gets their work or school day started. Maybe you need to play a musical instrument and have everyone sing along. Logan and I cranked out some dance moves to the song, “I’m Walking on Sunshine” in the living room the other day… just because. Our family gathers together every Sunday night to go over the week ahead so we aren’t surprised or stressed (and to make more room in the schedule for dancing!) And we each carefully and prayerfully pick a word of the year to guide us and keep us focused on make the planet a better place for generations to come.
How do you start your day? Do you wake up and allow time to meditate or pray or learn? Do you listen to music and tap your foot a bit as you get ready for work? Do you jam in the car on your way to work or school? I used to play the song, “Good Morning” by the artist Mendisa in my kindergarten classroom every morning and as soon as they entered the room and heard the beat, they would start dancing their little hearts out! I think we can all agree that everyone needs to do more dancing.
Do you know that there are over 100 verses in the Bible that mention the word “dance” or “dancing”? I didn’t know that until I did some research. One of my favorite Christian songs is “O Taste and See”. It is based off verses from Psalm 30:11-12. It says, “Cuz you turn my mourning into dancing, put off my rags and clothe me with gladness, and I will rise and I will praise you. I’ll sing and not be silent.” It’s all about about rising and making the most of your day. Your week. Your month. And even your year. (Cue the theme song for the tv show “Friends”!)
I hope this week that you take time to dance.
