First Lady Michelle Obama dancing at a Diwali celebration:
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
If one of the most photographed, observed, and scrutinized women in the world is willing to get up in front of cameras and try out some dance steps that she’s never done before, what’s holding back the rest of us? I heard another famous woman, Nora Ephron, on the radio yesterday promoting her new book I Remember Nothing. She described talking with friends about what they wanted to eat for their last meals before they died. Unfortunately, one friend died of throat cancer and, while she was dying, remarked to the rest of the group that she couldn’t even have her last meal. The moral, of course, is that if you want to do something, you should do it NOW.
It makes me a little sad when someone tells me “Oh, I’ve always wanted to learn to dance!” Dance has brought so much enjoyment, friendship, love, and contentment into my life that when I hear that sentence, I think “What are you waiting for?” Michelle Obama can do it and so can you.
4 replies on “This makes me happy”
Well said. My philosophy, exactly!
If I want dessert more than I want a meal, I order dessert! Often, whomever is with me will lament, “I wish I could do that!”
My response, “You can!”
I’ve lost two friends this past year, who didn’t get to do everything they wanted to do in life. I am trying to live each day of the rest of my own life INTENTIONALLY….and I plan to dance more often!
P.S. Another good Nora Ephron book is “I Feel Bad about my Neck.” (Your face can lie, but your neck tells the truth.) Priceless observations about women aging….
I like the idea of “intentionality.” In some ways the “live like you’re dying” philosophy seems like too much pressure, but making choices for one’s own happiness rather than defaulting to the same old excuses is a good way to look at it.
Oh dear! I hope I have some good neck years left–I still feel good about my neck, at least!