No 36 Changing Lives through Dancing
By David Earl Woodbury
Friday, September 12, 2014
Aloha!
No one’s going to do something for you, and I think that’s been the
thing that’s gotten me through everything. I’ve never sat around and
waited for anybody to do anything for me. If I wanted to do
something, I made it happen.– Alyssa Mastromonaco, Deputy White House Chief of Staff for Operations
OK, we finally took a vacation after 18 months of hard work and building our studio. It was a fantastic week of running, eating, swimming, and drinking in the glorious Waikiki experience. We saw so many shows with fun dancing, absolutely amazing. We even went out Country Western dancing! Wow, so much fun.
It was not a lazy trip. Up at 5 AM every morning for a 6 AM run. The sun was not yet up and the morning on the beach was always magical. Many other runners were running as well and everyone was so friendly. We spoke to passing runners and said “Good Morning” along with a friendly wave of the hand. Who does that anymore? When our glorious run was over, we went to our gym, right on the ocean front, and then feasted on a Hawaiian breakfast overlooking the beautiful, very blue waves of Waikiki!
Every moment was special and I drank in the rest and fresh air. We finished the vacation with a visit to Disneyland, my birthday present from Joel of Premium Passes! No block out dates. I cried for an hour when I opened up my birthday card with the passes inside. I cried going to the park, I cried in the park, and I cried during the fireworks as she sang “No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you dream will come true”. I get a little choked up just typing this. Yes, believing in your dreams will truly make them come true.
As I returned to the Arthur Murray Santa Monica that I love so much, I realized that I was so happy in my work and studio life. Fear was removed.
Students gain lasting self-confidence not by being protected from
failure but by learning they can survive it.– Tony Wagner, teacher and author
As I sit typing my blog, my eyes are tired from a great day of dancing and laughing and helping others dance dreams come true. As the evening lengthens, I just cannot see clearly, but I know that I have given my best and that the reward of success will come my way. All day long, I have only spoken of hope, success, hard work, and vision. I know that we are succeeding and that we are being made great through the hot fires that refine our souls and spirits, that challenge our hope and vision, and that make our vision crystal clear and redefine our paths to success.
A man who makes no mistakes makes nothing.– Winston Churchill
It’s good to be in my dancing home again, loving the laughter, the dancing, the dreaming, and the acts of life transformation as we teach others to dance and become new people. Never lose your dream. Never lose hope. Focus on your vision and never let go.
Aloha!
Thank you,
David Woodbury