David Earl Woodbury
No 23 Changing Lives through Dancing
By David Earl Woodbury
Friday, June 6, 2014
Why everyone loves to dance!
The sages do not consider that making no mistakes is a blessing. They
believe, rather, that the great virtue of man lies in his ability to
correct his mistakes and continually make a new man of himself.
— Wang Yang-Ming (1472-1529) Chinese Philosopher
Do you ever make a mistake? I do, a lot of them. It seems that for everything I do well, I have failed many times getting to that great victory. For all the great accomplishments, I have met with defeat, loss, and bad decisions. Then, a wondrous success comes my way. Yes, there are mistakes, but the times of doing the right thing well are very rewarding.
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in
which you really stop to look fear in the face.
— Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) American First Lady and Political Activist
On my fridge is another saying by Eleanor Roosevelt “Do the thing you cannot do”. I leave that phrase up month after month on my fridge, and look at it. We cannot go back, we cannot stay still, we cannot stop change. It’s going to be hard whether we stay the same, make or not make the decision, or if we boldly move forward and take a chance. As is said in Star Trek: “To go boldly where no man has gone before”. I love that part of each Star Trek movie.
When life opens up the door of opportunity, we must go forward for the exit behind us closes and there is only a path ahead. We take a leap of faith, we have courage, we take a chance and truly look fear in the face, then move forward.
Many times just before dancing in a show, my heart begins to race. I cannot breathe. Sometimes my legs grow weak, my knees shake, my hands perspire, my mind goes blank, and a fear worse than death takes me over. Then, I take the floor and place myself with my partner. Then, the magic begins. I see the smiling faces, I hear the music, I hear the applause, I feel the audience, and I relish in the glory of the dance. Suddenly, I have forgotten all my fear and a rush of joy and accomplishment overtakes me. Yes, it was worth it.
Why everyone loves to dance, because it changes you. It reminds you every day of what magic truly is and what miracles are. Dancing gives your spirit a lift, puts a song in your heart, and puts a skip in your step.
Dancing will help you overcome fear. Dancing will give you confidence. Dancing will let the “happy” person inside of you come out. Dancing will truly change your life. Just give it a chance.
Thank You,
David Earl Woodbury
Next Week: Friday the 13th!