I hope you dance

P H O T O  O F  T H E  D A Y

AUGUST 23, 2010

I am siting here in a Barnes and Noble with my iPod turned up and table filled with design books, scrap paper, someone else's non-used napkin, my gum wrappers and my Blackberry.  The escalator to go down is broke; everyone keeps walking over to it and wondering how to get down.  I hear everyone coming up and try to picture what they have on and what they look like.  Maybe I watch people too much, but it's how I observe them.  Creepy, I know, but hey I know you do it too. 

After a night full of mixed feelings and feeling lost with life, this was the perfect escape.  Working on my resume, Mr. I know everything came up to me and gave me pointers.  I smiled and acted like I cared what he said.  He showed me his resume and I was nothing but under impressed.  It looked like everyone else's resume.  (pardon me, I am no design expert, but you are in a creative field.  Shouldn't it have a little bit of spice to it?  Just  a thought.)  

Maybe it wasn't where I thought it would end up with Mr. Cocky peeking over my shoulder, but when I lost all hope of escaping him out of nowhere, Little Birthday Boy showed up.  He had to be no older than 7 with 3 balloons [green, red, and orange] tied around his wrist.  He was with what seemed to be his mom and dad and they were here to by a birthday gift.  He ran to the kid's section for a book and came back with book in hand then discovered the Lego section right next to my table.  The book suddenly disappeared and his gift magically turned into a new Lego set.  

Amongst all the tedious work I was doing, Little Birthday Boy showed me how to smile.  I could hear a very faint conversation being had in a different language between him and his parental units.  I would of loved to know what was going on -- a conversation about the book or legos, what would be more influential to him.  I wanted to say let him get the Legos, but hey it could be from just staring at them for over 2 hours.  The Legos looked pretty cool, every dad and grandpa seemed to pick a box of them up.  I wanted to shout get them, but stayed silent.  

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Many things have been going on in life, made me forget where I am, what emotions are, and who I am.  It isn't anyone's fault but my own.  It seems to be that I have been at the wrong place at the wrong time.  And after many incidents of that, I finally realized I need to pick myself up off the ground and get moving again.  

No one said life was easy that is for sure or told you, you would be happy always.  There are things that can make you lose who you are or only feel sadness, but there are things that can turn you around.  

How about walking into your favorite restaurant and them knowing what you order and how you like it?  How about someone buying you a shirt that you want, or giving you a hug and sending you a text saying you look cute as you are standing ten feet away?  

Happiness isn't always in others, it is finding it in yourself.  It is knowing you are beautiful-- inside and out, it is knowing that you are unique and normal, and you are accepted by someone, somewhere and accepting yourself for who you are! 

I am not saying this is easy to know, or to feel -- trust me when I say this, I am guilty of feeling unloved and unwanted.  I know what it is like to have bad luck, but I know what it is like to have good luck, to be loved and to be cherished.  I know what it is like to be adored, and to be hated.  I know what it is to lose it all and to gain things back little by little.  Trust me at the end of the day there is something to smile about.  If you lost something, know you once had it.  If you cry, know there is a smile around the corner, and know that if you are going through a rough patch there is easy sailing ashore.   

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As I write this, I am listening to "I Hope You Dance" by Leanne Womack.  I discovered this song when I had lost a part of my life,  I played it and knew that it was meant for me.  And I hope you take a listen to it.  Hope you understand the meaning of it and hope you take the advice.  It is cliche, but in the end sometimes being cliche is okay.  

Check out the I hope you dance video by clicking here.

"I hope you never lose your sense of wonder 

You get your fill to eat 

But always keep that hunger 

May you never take one single breath for granted 

God forbid love ever leave you empty handed 

I hope you still feel small 

When you stand by the ocean 

Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens 

Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance 

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance 

I hope you dance 

I hope you dance 

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance 

Never settle for the path of least resistance 

Living might mean taking chances 

But they're worth taking 

Lovin' might be a mistake 

But it's worth making 

Don't let some hell bent heart 

Leave you bitter 

When you come close to selling out 

Reconsider 

Give the heavens above 

More than just a passing glance 

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance 

I hope you dance"

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Remember, I can make ugly, pretty!

Lesley