No 14. Changing Lives through Dancing
By David Earl Woodbury
Friday, April 3, 2015
Life is Miracle and Magic
We need a renaissance of wonder. We need to renew, in our hearts and
in our souls, the deathless dream, the eternal poetry, the perennial
sense that life is miracle and magic. — E. Merrill Root (1895-1973) American Writer
If I have any message from this then it is if you really have a dream
and you want to achieve it then you can and it really is possible.”
— Ellen MacArthur, quoted after breaking all single-handed woman’s records and finishing second in round the world yacht race. February 11th, 2001
Here we are at Easter and Passover at the same time. I wish all of you, no matter if or what you celebrate, a great holiday season. This is truly a time of renewing our hearts and our dreams.
The last almost 40 days of Lent have been a great time of reflection for me. I did OK in my “fast” of a bad habit of mine. It is a life-long quest to change something about myself that I detest, and I gave it a lot of work during my Lenten journey. Still working on it!
One great result of this time was the renewal of my own deathless dream, and the rekindling of the fire of my enthusiasm. There were many, many moments in the last 40 days of joy in my life, happiness in where I am at peace with all the challenges that have come my way. A grateful heart has grown within me as I have counted the many blessings and opportunities all around me.
The simple renewing of a dream has been wonderful for me. The reality, if God is willing, that I will dance for the rest of my life has been a great joy of thought for me. The knowing that I can teach, dance, perform, enjoy, and participate in dancing has given me immense joy daily.
Wisdom begins in wonder. – Socrates
As the body needs physical exercise in order to remain in fit
condition, man’s spirit also requires the spiritual exercise derived
when he confronts his problems and combats life’s vicissitudes.
— William Sahakian and Mabel Lewis Sahakian, describing the philosophy of Epictetus
The wisdom of life comes after we have met life’s challenges, overcome the trials that have tried our patience and tested our character, and then moved forward with the knowledge that we have learned from our journeys. For many, many years I focused primarily on my physical exercise which is still essential until today. Yet, now I know that our spiritual exercises are just as important to develop our character. A healthy heart and soul are both important to overall fitness and conditioning.
For me, I will always be a kid inside.
A child-like man is not a man whose development has been arrested; on the contrary, he is a man who has given himself a chance of continuing to develop long after most adults have muffled themselves in the cocoon of middle-aged habit and convention.
–Aldous Huxley
See you all next week!
David Woodbury