A few weeks ago I was at a dance event in Atlanta. I hadn’t been to an event that was just for fun in quite sometime. Most of the dance events I go to are filled with competition, students, hair, makeup and not a lot of downtime. I wouldn’t trade it for the world but every once in awhile it’s a fun escape to just go to an event for dancing sake. Some of my students went to the event for the first time. It was so incredible to see them so excited and so awe struck at the level of west coast swing dancing they were seeing in person for the first time. Trust me if you take some time and you, you tube west coast swing you will be floored at what people can do with no said plan to begin with, the music comes on and people just dance. Talk about a wonder filled moment. It is one of my absolute favorite dances to dance. It was awesome to see how exciting it was for them to dance with one of the top pros for the first time not mention taking a private lesson with one of them, that went beyond expectation and I am so sure made them feel like they had walked on air at on point during their dance. It humbled me and reminded me of what it was like to be filled with so much wonder and delight. That I needed to strive to find those moments each and everyday.
It’s kind of like when you’re out and about and in the early stages of dating someone. It’s new and exciting and exhilarating to see what will happen next and whether or not something will come of the newly found relationship. Sparks can fly and it seems like it could be the relationship you’ve always wanted. Then time takes hold, you’re in it for a few years sometimes less, the wonder has worn off. What do you do then? How do you spark a spark with no fire starter to help. Does the wonder exist in you or is it in the other person? How do you find it in a world of fast paced technology and instantaneous gratification when it comes to dating and even day to day life? Is it so easy to just swipe left or right in order to pursue a relationship with someone? Have we really and truly become a society that relies on how quickly we can attain a said goal? What about next day shipping and what you had your heart set on, it’s on your doorstep the very next day. Whatever happened to real life conversation and genuine interest in a person or a place and not just the aesthetic appeal that seems to run the world at times. What happened to good things come to those who wait? Sure, I have heard it and I am even guilty of saying “it’’…. so and so is so hot. Am I or they supposed to take that as a compliment? Did I really mean that as compliment? Sure but what about what really and truly lies beneath? Is there a want and desire to see more about a person, place, or thing that goes deeper than the surface. It’s kind of like the ocean. You can see the gorgeous color of the water from the surface but what about the new and undiscovered world below? Seeing such beauty can take your breathe away.
Do we so easily give up when the going gets tough. Loving people is risky and scary. When someone actually lets someone in all the way and they know everything about you, that is where it can be tricky. With this comes great power and responsibility. Someone that knows everything about you can push your buttons like no one else. Just ask my mom about how many times my brother succeeded in making me lose my temper through the years. Relationships and friendships take work and time to grow. Each one changes and never stays the same. It is what we put into them that makes all the difference. It is choice every day that we make to love and accept someone where they are instead of pushing and looking for conflict. Not that I am saying to be a doormat for people. Trust me I was one for years and thought the only way to be heard was to not say anything at all. Later I found it to be quite the contrary. If someone really cares for and wants whats best for you they will put forth an effort to love you right where you are. Both parties may not always agree on a specific subject or outcome of a situation. Life would never make us grow if everyone got along all of the time. We were meant to not always agree. We have so much to learn from each other but only if we are open to learning. Voicing an opinion and letting someone know where you stand should not effect how that person cares for someone. Sometimes we all agree to just disagree. I have learned time and time again who my true friends are in life. That if someone truly love and cares for you they won’t look for reasons to blame you or another person for life struggles that arise. They will do their best to return in kind what you have dealt them. The responsibility of relationships is two way street. It can never be one sided. Cars must drive on both sides of the road. It is constant give and take. Never ever should it be just take, take and take.
With trials and tribulation we find our greatest strengths. We don’t ever have find them alone. Strength is in numbers. Surrounding yourself with positive and uplifting people is half of the battle. Fellow believers are ever a constant force of much needed community. We were not meant to walk alone. I can’t imagine having faced all of the challenges that life has thrown me walking the road of life all by myself. I would not be me with out all of my friends that knew exactly what to say and when, when I needed to hear it the most. You can’t have six pack abs without working out. Therefore the relationship we seek with God has to have a day to day regimen. We can’t expect a relationship to just happen because are sitting there waiting for it happen. Time spent with other believers sets a person up for success. In a world that is full of donuts, laffy taffy, french fries, and soda those six pack abs are attainable but only through hard work, want and desire to better ourselves. Working out is much more enjoyable with friends. They help to hold us accountable and encourage us to better ourselves when we can’t find the strength on our own.
You know the cliché line of “He chose poorly” resonates in my head when it comes to choosing who we let into our lives. How far we let them in is our choice and ours alone. What we share and why we share it is choice and comes with the price tag of trust. Trust is hard thing to come by at times. I usually know if someone is trustworthy or not fairy quickly. Although I have been burned a time or two. Each time though I learned a new lesson and how to recognize traits and those of a genuine person that only ever wanted what best for me. Sure I came out with bumps and scrapes, at times some bruises but as always I learned another valuable lesson on people. I learned what I did and not want to become. I learned that sometimes no matter what people said they would aways fail me. No one that walks this earth is perfect. God though, has never failed me and I was never truly alone. I could make the choice to let a person into my inner circle of friends or I could wait and see where they would stand when the going got tough.
Seek the wonder filled moments in every situation, relationship, and moment you find yourself in. Don’t let life beat you down and take away the want the and desire to be the change. Surround yourself with people that lift you up and help you see the good in yourself when you are unable to. Choose wisely. Take delight in meeting new people. Seek the good and you will see it. Be excited about life and all it has to offer. You walk this earth once and each day is an opportunity to make a difference. It is not always an easy path to take and sometimes I know it would be so easy to be of this world we live in. The challenges and workouts that make us grow are more than worth the effort it takes to be the change. Silence can be golden but sometimes we are called to use our voice and speak up for those that can’t. Gaze at the wonder and beauty of a sunrise and know that picture alone is a constant reminder of just how much we are loved. It is beyond what we can ever fully understand. Until next week my friendlies! #bethechange #talesofasiren #lovealways #choosewisley