Make Me Smile Monday

I'm looking for a line dancing instructor for a kids summer program I'm planning. There's a lady here in town who does this but I haven't been able to track her down. So, after doing a quick google search I dicovered there's a seniors group that meets every Monday morning to line dance. When I made the call I was immediately invited to go this morning and talk to the group myself. :)

So, today J and I went over to one of our town's rec centres to meet the lovely lady D I spoke with on the phone just yesterday. Dancing had already begun and there were a few people standing in the front entrance chatting amongst themselves. They greeted us warmly and asked if we were coming to dance with them. They talked to J and asked for his name and admired his Curious George shirt. D saw us come in from the other side of the room and she came over right away to greet us. She brought me up to the front and passed me the mic so I could make the invitation myself. 

After the invitation went out they went back to dancing. There were probably about 25 people there probably ranging from mid 50's to early 70's. They were dancing, smiling, laughing and full of life. But as I was sitting there watching I was thinking this is what life is all about...connecting with people, embracing the things we love and actually living!

Maybe I'm alone in this, but how incredible is that? And I don't just mean the dancing but the open, warm and all-inclusive way they welcomed us in. Because when I think about it, I'm not sure I would've had gotten the same welcome had the demographic been 20 to 30 years younger. And I can't help but wonder why that is? It was probably the single most inviting place I've ever walked into in my entire life.

I hope that at the end of my life people look back and say that I embraced it. That I didn't shy away from doing the things I loved because of fear or insecurity. I hope people say that I pushed myself beyond my natural comfort zone over and over again until it was miles bigger than it was when I began! I hope that people will say I was warm and inviting, and I always had a smile on my face. As adults, life can be busy and our responsibilities can sometimes distract us from lifes simple pleasures. I don't want to wait until I'm close to retirement to have be seen as a warm, inviting, brave individual. Besides, the danger is great that if I wait until then I might not be able to make the transition.

And for all of you, I hope that you take the time to do the things you enjoy regularly, that you connect with family and friends often and that your beautiful smile and sincere laughter are a part of your everyday life!

In The Eye of the Beholder

Last friday I found myself thinking about friendship. That friendship can be very delicate. It's something we have to nurture and care for if we want it to go beyond the superficial. I was also thinking about the fact that I can be selfish. Sometimes instead of thinking things through I can react emotionally and have moments of insecurity.

Insecurity is not an easy thing for me to write about, because in certain areas I used to be incredibly insecure. As I've begun to understand God's love for me and really embrace it I haven't struggled with it nearly as much. In all honesty I'd prefer to pretend it didn't exist in my life at all. But denying that it's ever there won't help me in those "moments of weakness".

Insecurity can be very deceiving. At first glance it appears to be all about other people because it causes us to worry about other people. Worry about what they think, what they want, whether or not they think we said or did the right thing. But when we take a closer look we see can that's really not the case at all.

The thing I've noticed is that when I allow insecurities to colour the way I see things, I'm actually allowing it to become all about me. Seeing through insecurity-coloured lenses I tend to over analyze things. I'm more likely to have my feelings hurt by something someone says or feel the need to defend myself when sharing ideas. I'm more likely to misinterpret someone else's motives or misread their body language. When I do that aren't I just really skirting the real issue and passing blame? Without regard for the other persons feelings aren't I blaming them for the fact that I don't feel good about myself? Without truly considering the implications aren't I really blaming their words, actions, body language or motives - when in reality they have absolutely no control over how I feel about myself?

When you consider the risk involved by allowing yourself to be motivated by insecurity the danger is huge! It jeopardizes relationships and leads to hurts and misunderstanding, when all we want in the first place is to be loved and accepted. We've all been hurt, we've all felt the sting of rejection, but we'd be foolish to allow that to stop us from getting close to people. When we put oursleves out there we are taking a risk and we could get hurt. But if you never take the risk you're hurt is not just a possibility it's a guarantee.

In these moments is when I choose to rememeber that life is bigger than catering to my own personal needs and wants. I choose to remember that I can't sit back and waiting for things to happen for me, I have to take a step towards building the relationships I want. I choose to remember that God's love is bigger than me, bigger than my insecurities. As I turn my eyes away from my own hurts and fears, away from my own flaws and inadequacies and towards his unfailing love things begin to fall into place. For me this has been one of life's most rewarding journey's.