Staying Hungry and The Dance We Dance
Remember Square Dancing? If you’ve never done it, you should. You’re in a circle and although you start with one partner, the dance is about moving around the circle, interacting and dancing with different partners as you move around the circle. Some are great, they smile, they know how to dance, your time with them is fluid and easy and fun. Then there are those who are new to the dance. They are stiff, scared, awkward and afraid of doing something wrong or looking foolish. They grimace rather than smile. You’re glad to make the transition to the next person. And so it goes.
Sometimes you’re inspired, sometimes bored, sometimes you float, sometimes you bruise or stumble as you encounter a not-so-gifted dancer. And as I did in elementary school, you encounter angry dancers -mean girls who step on your feet because their partner likes the way you dance…it’s all there - the dance of life is the dance we dance every day. The answers are there, the lessons are there, if we look for them. For instance…
I had a great weekend - talking to Todd Silva at “Give Away A Dollar a Day,” for his Blog Talk Radio show. We discussed inspiration and “Staying Hungry,” the 7th lesson in the Johnny Bunko contest which got me to TED Global in Oxford. Then this morning I read Peggy Pepper’s blog about inner artistry, and was inspired all over again. The inspiration? What comes to us when we “Stay Hungry” and look around ourselves for things, people, knowledge that continue to feed us, teach us, inspire us.
The thing that stood out for me was that inspiration comes in SMALL things, in the individual dance steps as well as the dance itself - the big things. We are inspired of course by people who turned their lives around, or the rags to riches story, or the underdog who wins story (the BIG dance). Those are great. I LOVE them! But Peggy’s right…learning to appreciate the everyday artistry, to seek out our own artistry, or to see how we can inspire others, support others or become part of the artistry of others is also inspiring…and part of the dance steps we do to create the dance.
Peggy talks about an instructor for an exercise class she was taking who was obviously passionate about the class, about exercise, and passionate about what she was doing. Her teaching was an art form and how she expressed her personal artistry. Each thing she did, from how she spoke, to the step-by-step of the class, were a series of “dance steps” that created a dance that Peggy was moved by and enjoyed.
That instructor’s passion and the love of what she did made it so easy for the participants to really enjoy the class, to “dance”…but what occurred to me was that we are not passive elements in anything we do, and that our own response to the artistry of others is part of how we express OUR artistry and a critical part of the dance. We’re all part of “the dance” and we are partners in the dance of others - when we chose to be. We can lead or follow, but following doesn’t mean we have no responsibility. Following well is as important as leading well.
Did other people in the class see it as an art form? As a dance? Who knows? But the instructor touched something in Peggy, who in turn touched something in me and maybe something in this post will touch someone else…and all because an exercise instructor in a spa was passionate about how she taught an exercise class. If you see your interactions as part of a dance - think about it. Are you stepping on each others toes? Are you leading or following? Are you in a free form dance where you make up the moves as you go along? Or, are you following the classic steps and moves of a dance like the Samba or Foxtrot?
Wherever you are. Start dancing. If you don’t have a partner, look around. The world is full of people who want to dance with you….start with the small dances, the smile when you’re standing in line, holding a door, volunteering for a local organization….taking a class, teaching a class. What are you learning? Teaching? Noticing? Read a blog. Start a blog. The dance floor is wide open my friend. Will you sit on the sidelines or take to the floor? There’s no right or wrong to doing either, but it is a choice.
