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Live. Love. Dance.
Live.
“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Matthew 6:34
I found this verse when I was thirteen years old and have been living by it ever since. While it sounds as though this means to live in the moment and forgot about the future, it is much more than that. It means that while it is important to think about tomorrow, it is nothing about which to worry. No one knows what tomorrow will hold, so why waste today worrying about what might happen, instead of living in what is happening. Growing up, I was so concerned about tomorrow and next week that I seemed to forget that I had today.
Now,
I realize today has enough in it to occupy me for a day. Part of that does mean to live in the moment and go with the flow. Having every second of every day structured and planned out leaves little room to breathe and live- a point that I learned slowly and the hard way. When I was younger, I used to plan out every hour of my day so that I would never fall behind; yet, I generally still felt behind and I ended up missing out on a lot of social events. Nowadays I try to make my schedule with a little wiggle room. Doing that makes it possible to eat dinner when my friends are, to have last minute meetings with advisors, or to help out a peer with class-work they don’t understand. Each day is full of surprises and it’s important to be able to live them and not simply watch them pass.
Love.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13
Love is a commonly used word. I love that! I love you! I love “insert sarcastic comment here.” But this is not how a word as powerful as love should be used; it should be used for its true and honest meaning.
Love is a gift that is to be shared. It encompasses faith and hope within its meaning. To love someone means to have faith in them; to trust them whole heartedly. Few relationships have this love, romantic and friend-based. Love is not enjoying someone’s company while secretly expecting them to fail. I strive to see the best in everyone and to support them in their choices- even if I don’t necessarily agree. This is where hope comes into play. I don’t know the details of anyone else’s life as they do. I may not understand why my friend thinks that doing x, y, or z is a decent idea, but I hope that they are doing what is best for themselves.
Additionally, I hope that my friends will treat me the way I treat them. It is not uncommon today for people to use one another. I have had friends who have abused our friendship to get what they wanted and then left me wondering what happened. In cases like that, all one can do is move forward. There is such an amount of love in this world that if one is open to it, love will flood their life.I have been told that I love too much, but I take that as a compliment. I care deeply about my relationships- with friends, family, and peers. It is important to have people who will be there for you, and more importantly to be one of those people who is there for others. A friend once told me that my love overflowed into the world. My love for the people around me is shown not only in my actions, but in my attitude as well.
Love is a powerful thing that does change the world.
Dance.
"Dance is your pulse, your heartbeat, your breathing. It's the rhythm of your life. It's the expression in time and movement, in happiness, joy, sadness and envy."
Jaques D'ambroise
I have been a ballet dancer since I was two and a half years old. I dance in stores, down the street, alone in my room, and in a studio. Dance isn’t only something that I do for fun or to stay in shape- dance is an integral part of my life.
I love to dance. Dance has gotten me through my
best and worst days. Any emotion can be expressed through the motions of ballet. When I dance, I dance for myself, not for others. I forget who or what is around me and dance from the heart. Ballet on a basic level is all about lines and technique; however, for an experienced dancer, it is about the feeling and heart too.
Being an experienced dancer, I grew up performing. While performing is not the reason I dance, it does mean that I enjoy being on stage and being in front of large groups. Because dancing is a greater expression than simply movements for me, I show myself to everyone who watches. Audience members have expressed feeling a greater connection to me due to this- which is part of the reason people enjoy watching me. After baring myself on stage, there is no need to fear practiced oral presentations. Moreover, as strict as ballet is, improvisation does occur. I have had times when my director has thrown me into parts I have never learned. Time such as those require me to think on my toes, literally.
Being part of the same studio my entire life has had a great influence in my life. Sally Wood, a brilliant dancer who dances at my studio, takes time to help everyone else instead of being stuck up as some dancers can be. She is one of my role models and as close as a family member. My dance master, Eric Johnston, has not only danced around the world, but has become a dear friend. My studio is a second home and second family.
Ballet has taught me dedication. Dedication is not just showing up and doing the work. Dedication is giving 110% everyday and committing. It is putting your heart into it. If everyone had such an investment in life, think about what the world would become.
Dance as though no one was watching
Love as though you had never loved before
Live as though heaven is on earth
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