I’m having a fun summer! Not the travel-around-the-world kind of summer, but the ride-the-bike-in-the-sun, dance-Tango, see-outdoor-movies-in-the-park, and read-a-good-novel-for-hours kind of summer. With friends.
And speaking of Tango, I’ve been learning and improving in my dance leading skills. I even have men wanting me to lead them so they can learn more about how to follow in Tango, and the whole thing is evolving as we learn to reverse roles which strengthens our “usual” role. It’s so joyful for me. I experience so many kind and open-hearted people in the community of Tango, also some quirky more introverted folks. But taking on this new role as a dance leader, I’m getting under some of the protectiveness to the truly kind-hearted and curious people everyone really is, and we are having more connected fun as we explore new ideas together.
When I started Tango over fifteen years ago, I set a very strong Intention that it would be FOR THE JOY OF IT. Period. It was the thing that I would always do for the Joy, and if that stopped, I would stop. Even through some disciplined study of the dance, and hard moments, I have always felt the Joy and Gratitude for being able to participate in this infinitely-expressive dance. Even in a moment of feeling Tango mirroring my own limited thinking, my own worthiness issues, and just melting down into tears, I felt the Joy that something like this dance could actually grow me spiritually.
I can see how important it has been for me to infuse my life with Joy, how healing it is, how nurturing it is, how therapeutic it is, how good for my health it is. During the summer months, like many of us, I like to amp up that feeling with celebratory summer moments, which for me are often very simple, and just the other day it washed over me how stunning it was that I felt such strong Joy just because of some of the smallest joyful moments. And of course, part of every summer includes a trip to my Happy Place, Nantucket Island. I go to see my dearest longtime friends on the planet, and experience the simplicity and relaxed summer vibe there with them.
So I share all this just to say, I hope you are engaged in something truly Joyful for you this summer. And if not, I strongly encourage you to take some time this weekend and set the intention to do something JUST FOR THE JOY OF IT. There is something about the energy of it that is so healing, so life-affirming, so energizing, so connecting. It reduces all of the complexities of life to an effervescent moment of pure Soul Aliveness. No stress. Ahhhh…we all deserve that.
Happy rest of Summer to all, Melanie