Dancing Through Life: How to Take Steps with Skill and Grace

When I was about eight or nine, I was taught to waltz. I've never forgotten how much fun I had learning the steps, and then putting those steps into practice with a partner. I found waltzing to be such a flowing lyrical dance, despite the fact that I wasn't then, nor am I now, a very lyrical dancer. Nevertheless, I learned as a little girl to revel in the freedom and liberation that dancing brought into my life.

Okay, so I'm far from a star status dancer... I'm not even very graceful. But my philosophy is that, for most of us, it isn't so much about the technique we employ in a dance, but about giving it our all and having fun with it. I consider life to be similar to dancing in that way... sometimes mastering our problems and reaching our goals can be pretty difficult. And yet, when we give life our all and learn to have fun along the way, the results can be truly amazing.

As in life itself, in order to master certain types of dances, we must first perfect the necessary steps. But we don't have to learn all the steps in a dance in one day. We may choose to learn one step one day, another a few days after that, and yet another the following week. Eventually, as we build on what we learned previously, we'll learn the entire dance. In life, as in dancing, we can't always master a goal in a day, a week, or even a year of taking steps. But each and every day, we can do one or two small actions, take a few baby steps, or learn one new skill, that will, over time, add up in a very big way towards helping us reach our original goal. Time can be a friend in our lives, as well as on the dance floor, on our way to mastery.

Another important skill in dancing through life is practice, practice, practice! Because I enjoyed learning the waltz as a child, I practiced the steps often. When we enjoy a project we're working on or an activity we're doing, it's much easier to practice it on our way to completing it. Yet, not everything in life is so fun or so easy. During these times, and during the not so fun projects or activities, practice is even more important. The more we work, the more we strive for quality and completion, the better the project or activity will turn out, and the better we will feel about the results! They say that "practice makes perfect." However, we are human beings, and by our very nature we aren't perfect. But even if we can't strive for perfection all the time, we can strive to do our very best at all times. This is where practice can serve as a wonderful ally!

I already mentioned that, on our way to mastering any skill, it's important to have fun. We live in a fast-paced society, and it's easy to get bogged down by taking ourselves too seriously. Sometimes lightening up and having a little fun makes life far easier for us. Even the professional dancer knows that having fun is an important part of dancing.

Finally, throughout the good times and the bad, it's always easier when we have a partner with whom to dance through life. Life is always an easier dance when there's someone to share it with, laugh with, dream with, and endure with. Whether your partner is a spouse, a beloved pet or a child, this ability to share the dance of life can be of great value in assisting you to learn the difficult steps, have fun in the free style places, and hold the hand of a beloved through it all. If you don't have a "physical" partner, it is my personal belief that God and your angels are always there, willing and eager to partner with you throughout all portions of life's dance.

Life, like dancing, can sometimes be a rigorous process. Our steps may falter on occasion, we may miss a step here and there, and we may even trip and fall at times along the way. Some of us are more graceful than others, and some of us may be more accomplished at some steps than others. But through it all, there are always things we can do to make our dance of life a little easier, a little more graceful, and a little more fun. I hope my suggestions are helpful as you dance through your own life, and that you'll think of other suggestions to help you with life's dance, as well. I wish you a wonderful and beautiful dance through this journey called life!