My mother said she sent me to dance because she thought I was clumsy as a child. She sent me to dance when I was three-and-a-half years old. I wonder whether the reason came before or after she sent me?I’m certain I needed to go. I wish I was still going. In my life then and now dancing is something I’ll always need.
I learned to love music, to let it move me. I learned to get out of my head and into my soul. I found how to think with all parts of my body.
Now when I want to know whether the truth stands before me, I look inside, breathe deeply, and carry the thought through me. Down, down, it goes through my chest, hips to my feet asking the question. It waits there a moment. On the way up, up, it passes my knees, my waist and shoulders, taking in the answer and returning it to my head.
I learned to stretch myself well out into my fingers and toes. I can feel the truth with every cell I am. I learned that when I was half as tall and had not decided about how truth or learning was supposed to work yet.
Dancing gives me something other folks search out, explore, even yearn and pine for. I leave my head. I get to go inside and wander. I can spill through like light, slide through me like water, slip out of me, taking in everything indiscriminately. I touch the universe dancing the truth of it.
Maybe that’s why I walk, dance really, or listen to music when I write.
−me strauss Letting me be
6 comments:
Liz, this post goes right to the top of my list of All-Time Favorites.
The way you describe how humans are embodied beings, how we can only truly know the truth around us and within us by paying attention to our bodies, is so movingly written. This is the part that takes my breath away:
I leave my head. I get to go inside and wander. I can spill through like light, slide me through me like water, slip out of me, taking in everything indiscriminately. I touch universe dancing the truth of it.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom with the world.
Hi Dawn,
I'm breathing now.
What a wonderful seal of approval and support for a writer to hear.
I do, indeed, live every word of what I wrote in this post.
The miracle is that last night I figured out how truly important and wonderful it is to do that. A grace and a blessing has been bestowed because my mother said I was clumsy when I was three-and-a-half years old.
I'll thank her for that every day now.
Tag team bloggers strike again. The crowd goes wild, raaaaaa.
Take it Lori,
I sent my little girl to dance class too, mostly because I knew that she would love it, and partly because I always wanted my momma to send me.
I think it's one of the best things I did for my daughter. Also, I think most of us are a little clumsy on three year old legs, don't you?
Take it Becky, tag,
I love to dance too. I want a room of my own with mirrors and a bar, okay a pole too, where I can dance, just dance.
Consider yourself tag team blogged, xx, Lori and Becky
Wow
What fun! Tag team blogging from my favorite blogger and her daughter. Most of us are clusmsy on three year old legs. I loved dancing. I bet you did too, Becky.
Lori, you did your daughter a great thing. I hope my mom is watching.
Hey, that same thing happened to me. My mom sent me to dance at 3 because I was clumsy. Now I am still clumsy and I still can't dance (but I sit up straight, a big thing with that dance teacher)
Hey, I sit up straight too.
It's nice to have that in common.
Thanks for stopping by to comment.
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