The Chapter I am in: Learning to Dance

     We walked around the tennis courts at City Park in Denver looking for the perfect spot. I knew this park well from years of playing tennis there against Denver East High School; however, today's visit was different. Megan, a dear friend from Coe College, was visiting for the week. She had never been to Colorado, and per tradition needed to go dancing in Colorado to check the state off. We would spend less than 30 minutes going over the basics of Lindy Hop (a type of swing dancing). Following dancing lessons with a brief intermission for food and than off to Baur's to listen to the Spicy Pickles while dancing the evening away. I only danced for a few songs with Megan throughout the evening but it was the start of something incredible. Surrounded my a new community to for myself and Toby, I found happiness and hope; the intangible feelings I had been short on many times throughout the past year. A couple of days later we went dancing again at the Mercury cafe, and Megan helped make sure I was prepared. I pre-treated, taped my ankles, and felt great going into the dancing. I got to dance with a few very experienced dancers making it easier to follow.
     The importance of my dancing story is not just how happy I was and am dancing but how I have applied this to my life most recently. In the second grade I remember learning how to dance, I don't know exactly what type of dancing but I do remember something about "the pretzel." I thought I was happy with the level of my dance knowledge as is and didn't feel that I could really dance anyways if I tried (not just intellectually but more out of physical fear, and I still have this struggle). After recent conversations I was reminded of this idea of freedom from illness and health, living much more than I have. More and more that feeling of freedom has appeared in little bits and I've thought about having better grasp over health. This idea has always been the goal but I feel that I am coming into a season of which I will learn to live again but not without obstacles. So I've decided to think about this in comparison to learning to dance "again." While I may have known some basics years ago of dancing and life, I am learning the basics all over again. Listening to both the music and my body I will learn to follow the rhythm. I will find pattern in my feet and breaths I take to have better autonomy and management of how I move my body and flow through my life. I will learn the basic movements and basics of living all over again. In the end of this chapter I will find myself with a different level of life and dancing.

Thanks to Brooke Jostad, for posting a question on Facebook of "what would the title of the chapter of life you're in be?" Please feel free to respond in the comments or email me at joulesandjules@gmail.com or fb respond! Prayers and love to all!