"I hope you never lose your sense of wonder You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger May you never take one single breath for granted God forbid love ever leave you empty handed I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance"
-I Hope You Dance by Lee Anne Womack
The theme song of my childhood. My parents played it around the house and in the car, and my mom would reference it every time I said "no thank you" to trying something new. I was a big "no thank you" kid. I said "no thank you" to everything! If it meant leaving my mom's side, I didn't want to do it. My mom always regretted teaching me to say "no thank you" because once I learned that it meant I got to stay with her, it was all I said. Lee Ann Womack's lyrics always got to me though. I began understanding its meaning at a rather young age and took it to heart when my mom would say "when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance."
One of my favorite places to say "no thank" was at my grandma's house; there was always so much to do there. My grandparents always had so many activities and games ready for my sister and I to play when we came over but, per usual, I would shake my head and say "no thank you". It always took me at least one hour every time we went over for me to get comfortable. It took at least an hour to get off my mom's lap or out of my mom's arms long enough to get distracted with a toy, a coloring book or a game with my sister.
This picture is one of the first times I said "okay" to something new. Don't get too excited, it wasn't an enthusiastic "yes" but it wasn't a "no thank you". The ONLY reason why I didn't curl up in my usual shy state when asked to dance was because Cody asked me. Cody is the one dancing with me in this picture and he is my older cousin. He has also been one of the most influential people in my life, starting with this moment.
Cody's dad, my uncle, was in the Air Force for over 30 years, moving their family around rather often. Growing up, my family and I would visit them in England, Florida, Alabama, Italy, Germany, and Texas, but this time, they came to visit us here in Maryland. When my parents told my sister and I that there was a surprise waiting for us at Grandma's house, the last thing that I expected to see was my cousins and when I did, I stayed by my mom's side and smiled. I still had an hour to warm up.
"Do you want to go say hi?" "No thank you."
"Do you want to go sit with your cousins?" "No thank you."
"Do you want to talk to your aunt?" "No thank you."
I still had 55 minutes to cling to my mom and I wasn't going to let anyone ruin that! That is until...
"Do you want to come dance with me?"
Oh man, I REALLY like dancing. Mom just signed me up for dance classes. Dance time is always my favorite time at school.
"What else are you going to do, just sit around on your mom's lap all day?"
I trust him. I don't know why, but I trust him. We had fun last time I saw him and he's making some good points.
"Okay."
Everyone in the room was shocked, but once I left my mom's lap, I was just excited to dance with one of my favorite cousins. My mom was so shocked at my willingness to do anything but cling to her, that she snapped this picture.
Little did she know that she was capturing the first of many times that I would dance with Cody. The first of many times that Cody would be responsible for my personal growth.
The first of many times that I would experience pure joy while saying "okay" to life outside of my comfort zone.
The first of many times that when given the choice to sit it out or dance, I chose to dance.
