being human,  embodiment

I Hope You Dance

I have named a word for myself every year since 2009.

Some years they were chosen at the start of the year; in other years they were named at the conclusion or early in the following year. Last month, an Instagram acquaintance announced her word and I commented. “I need to choose mine!” She immediately replied, “let’s do it!” As a Whole Life Designer (Life Coach), she was the perfect person to assist me in that endeavor.

Jessica is just lovely, sweet, easy to talk to and eager to help kindred spirits on the path. She FaceTimed me at the appointed time, we spent a few minutes getting acquainted, then began the word-choosing process. Essentially I quieted myself and centered as she shuffled an oracle card deck that held words, images and ideas that would help me find my word. After I told her I was ready, she pulled the following three cards and then read their descriptions aloud to me, asking that I jot down words that captured my attention. Here are the names of the cards and the other words I scribbled during our session:

BALANCE CONFUSION REWARD
action/reaction lots of ideas in mind jupiterian wheel of fortune
ever-present change overloaded with stimulating ideas reward work well done
dance mental conflict completions
continuum indecision grant yourself you heart’s desire
flexible overly cerebral luxuriate in work well done
analytical & creative it is time to get out of mind and into body favorable life
analytical & creative, mathematical & poetic, etc. creative insights abundance
justice for mind, heart, body & spirit

At the end of the process, we talked through the words and determined my word for the year. In fact, it chose me far more than me choosing it; yes, it was quite clear. DANCE! Out of all of the words, it lit up the page. There was no thinking about it at all.

The session was interesting and auspicious because all of the cards pulled and many of the words deeply resonated with my path–past, present and future. I often find life to be that way; it has a way of ALWAYS giving me what I need, even if I don’t like what it’s giving me in the moment.

After we ended our call, I opened Spotify, found the song “I Hope You Dance” by LeeAnn Womack, blasted it on the Bose and danced, by myself in the living room. Immediately tears began to fall. I was sobbing uncontrollably … and it was clear …

Dancing, literally and figuratively, is the thing that’s been missing from life these last few years.

I’ve worked so hard … at my vocations, at healing, at moving forward, at accomplishing more. It’s always been about moving forward. This year (and beyond) you’ll find me DANCING!

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