And They Danced . . .

It was a great wedding on many levels--a very personal service with a sense of heart, humor and an impromptu nod to Broadway; a reception hall dripping with history, with beauty to spare; old friends to reconnect with; music, music, music. There was a lot to enjoy, but the dancing, ahh, the dancing was what made the evening.

The bride and groom both love to dance, and they’re darn good. It was a blast to watch the groom dance. Ian's got talent and style, and he danced with attitude. Still, as I reflect on that evening in September, it’s the memory of the bride that makes me smile.

Maggie danced in heels a mile high, and she danced in bare feet. She shimmied, she moved her hips, she danced high, she danced low. She hit the dance floor with her new husband, her dad, her friends, the African Dance Troupe she performs with—-she even sought out the DJ and danced with him. She oozed happiness and the guests could hardly take their eyes off of her.

As I watched her, what touched my heart was her freedom and her joy; she was unabashed and danced with abandon. She was just plain fun to watch.

I love the idea of “abandon,” that ability to yield without restraint and moderation. The way I see it, in life these days there’s an awful lot holding us down, weighing on us. People are angrier and more uptight than ever before, there’s no patience and too little faith. I'm pretty sure a sense of abandon would seriously interfere with all the shouting and despair. It would definitely cut in to all the time people spend texting instead of connecting, and it would probably put a damper on certain people’s concern with appearances.

So, let’s all take up where Maggie left off. Let’s all dance more, laugh harder, seek out the joy in a fall Wisconsin day, carve a crazy pumpkin, jump in a pile of leaves, hug a friend, sing out loud, share a joke, and in general just experience life with abandon. What could be bad about that?