You can’t say that you weren’t warned that Wednesdays would look a little different from now on. I’ve decided to throw in the towel on the whole Wednesdays-have-to-be-a-series idea. It worked for a while, but ditching the idea allows me more freedom. If there’s a song I want to feature, I can. If there’s nothing that’s inspiring me or moving me to write, then I don’t have to. I can and will promise you a new blog every Monday and an updated report on the book every Friday, until I submit proposals to publishers. Wednesdays will more than likely see a new blog as well, though it will be open for just about anything that floats my boat. If there’s something you want to see, something that has been on your heart, or some question you want answered, let me know and you just might find it here!
Dancing is a metaphor, I’m 100% convinced of it.
Before I begin I should also mention that I can be a bit of a snob when it comes to good dancing. I’m not talking about the kind of dancing you do in clubs where you just kind of writhe about on the dance floor. I’m talking about form, posture, grace, and elegance. I took ballroom dancing half of my time in college and won trophies in competitions. While I’m not as polished as I once was, I still have my snobbish ways when it comes to dancing. A good dance partner in comparison to a not-quite-so-polished dance partner is a bit like Oreos and Wal-Mart brand oreos. When I’m on a budget, the generic brand work just fine and taste almost the same. But when I feel like going a little crazy, I go for the name brand Oreos, and they hit the spot.
I fully believe that falling in love is like dancing – so much so that I’ve written about it before.
I also believe that who you are on the dance floor is the same person you should be off the dance floor. A few weeks ago I was out dancing with a group of friends when someone I had never met approached and asked me for a dance. Normally I don’t dance with people I don’t know, and it tends to be because most of the guys at this place are a bit old and a bit sketchy. But for some reason this guy wasn’t so scary or old, so I obliged. I spent half the night dancing with him. He knew how to dance and it was incredibly refreshing. He was name brand Oreos. He was a great leader and that allowed me to follow with grace. I felt incredibly beautiful as we floated around the dance floor, whether we were swing dancing, line dancing, or doing a cha-cha. I remembered steps I hadn’t done in years, and I learned new ones. I simply can’t put into words how wonderful it was to dance like this again. This isn’t to say anything about the other guys I dance with, but there was something different about this one. Until we got off the dance floor.
You see, he was a wonderful and gracious leader on the dance floor. He took charge and his lead allowed me to shine in an especially feminine and glorious way. Off the dance floor, however, he did not. We chatted a bit while dancing, making the usual small talk. Once we got off the dance floor he gave me his business card, not because he was trying to sell me something, but because he wanted me to call, text, or e-mail him (he didn’t care which). It isn’t that I was particularly interested in this guy, but this move was disappointing. If you are going to take the lead on the dance floor, you should take the lead off the dance floor. Putting the ball in my court doesn’t allow me to shine in that especially feminine way I had on the dance floor. It all goes back to what I’ve believed and written about countless times before: a real man will lead, whether it is on the dance floor or off. A guy, or perhaps more accurately a boy (regardless of age) will try to lead, but his lead won’t last long. Don’t dance? The same rule applies in every aspect of life; if I’m a different person in life then I am when I write here, who am I, really? If I wrote great love songs but am not willing to live them out, then who am I, really? It lessens our message (aka the Gospel message) when we fail to be the same person through and through.
This is especially true in the beginning of new relationships. I’m a firm believer (call me old fashioned, I don’t care) that the chances of a relationship working out in the long run are dramatically increased if the man leads and pursues the woman. Look at two people dancing, when a man leads and a woman follows it is beautiful and graceful. Their dance is so elegant that words fail to describe it’s beauty. When a man and a woman dance and no one is leading it looks awful. When they dance and the woman leads something just looks off, the man doesn’t look like a man and the woman doesn’t seem to float or glide on the dance floor. Dance well, love well. Be the same person off the dance floor that you are on the dance floor. Float. Glide. Embrace the good, the true, and the beautiful. Love.
What I’m Listening To:
“Lost” by Michael Bublé
“Loves Me Not” by Kris Allen feat. Meiko
“Angel Eyes” by Love and Theft
“Before She Does” by Eric Church
