DIP

November 21, 2009

Sunday~November 22, 2009

_____

A favorite song comes on and we can’t help it.

Our stocking feet slip across the kitchen floor, dancing to the music blasting through the speakers.

whoosh whoosh blur blur flurry flurry
fumble trip spin and laugh
dip

feet firmly planted
then
feet flying through the air
blurry

Like life.

It’s the way we turn ourselves, trying to find our way to the right moves. I hold a tiny and chubby hand and we twist-and-shout and move our hips and then I twirl that small boy out and pull him back in.

My hand on the small of a small back and dip, and a little tummy drops with the fast-moving close-to-the-floor-but-still-caught feeling of it.

Like life. Turning ourselves and feeling it.

Dip.

We fumble through our uncoordinated bonking and slipping and we hold on tight to each other.

My little dance partners, they like the dip part best, until that grows old and turns to the mundane like most things and then they say up! and spin! So I break free and then lift them up and I hold on tight and we spin and spin in circles until I stop and tell them it’s good to take a break from spinning. To catch your breath and see straight.

They lose the life in their faces for a moment, in disappointment of the stopping, the rush coming to an end.

And then we wait for the next dip instead.

We learn each other’s steps, and it gets less fumbly. We get to know each other and we keep moving, learning carefully how to refrain from hurting each other with our lack of skills.

Dip.

Grace and consideration, in the dance.

Like life.

Fumbly and good. Either way, we keep dancing, or the music means nothing.

{ 46 comments }

Lindsey November 21, 2009 at 8:46 pm

Seriously. SO GOOD:

Either way, we keep dancing, or the music means nothing.

Indeed. I can't say it better than you, so I'll just say thank you for saying it.

xo

katdish November 21, 2009 at 9:02 pm

Heather. Wow, just great. Loved this.

Nili November 21, 2009 at 9:32 pm

I just love reading your stuff…this is so good and true and sweet.

Kristen November 21, 2009 at 9:33 pm

Heather, I adored this post.

Lindsey has started a really wonderful conversation on her blog about being present and this post captures the beauty, the realness, the importance of living in the moment, especially with our kids. I need to do more of this: dance; don't analyze.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm loving your blog.

Boy Crazy November 21, 2009 at 10:15 pm

Fumbly and good. I like that.

kirsten November 21, 2009 at 10:24 pm

Fumbly and good – awesome.

"grace and consideration" – even better. My favorite bit in fact.

if through the dance, through (or despite) the fumbly and good, we demonstrate/live/teach grace and consideration, well then… we are getting ever closer to the goal.

L.T. Elliot November 21, 2009 at 11:05 pm

I was just thinking about this today. I know that sometimes we must look so silly dancing around and rockin' out in the car but for a minute, we're fumbly and free and it feels so good. I'm so glad to know you dance it out too.

Cynthia November 22, 2009 at 12:03 am

This post is exceptional- even for you who always posts exceptional thoughts in carefully crafted words. I think it needs wider publication. Seriously, awesome!

Rebecca November 22, 2009 at 12:11 am

Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

KK November 22, 2009 at 1:14 am

This is precious.

TKW November 22, 2009 at 4:25 am

Fumbly and good. Love it.

I've been incredibly fumbly lately and wish everyone around me felt as graceful and forgiving as you do.

5thsister November 22, 2009 at 5:51 am

To dance, to love, to laugh and to live with abandon! A wonderful post! This post reminds me of the importance to "Let go and let God". The grace will follow.

Kelly Langner Sauer November 22, 2009 at 7:30 am

This post is so COOL! My daughter's favorite thing is to dance – when a familiar song comes on, she announces the "Dance!" and then gets down on the floor and runs in circles or spins until she gets dizzy. I think I taught her that… it's so strange and wonderful, to think I've given her something so special.

Beautifully written – like an invitation to your home!

Ronda's Rants November 22, 2009 at 8:07 am

I danced last night with my son for the Mother/Son dance at his wedding…it was beautiful…but no dips!

Eva Gallant November 22, 2009 at 8:33 am

Well said! I loved your post. Just dropped by from SITS to say hi; hope you'll do the same.

JenniferG November 22, 2009 at 8:37 am

That was lovely. Really happy to have found you. What a wonderful post!

Emma November 22, 2009 at 9:00 am

Well said it makes me think of garth broocks the DANCE, life wow!!!

Erin November 22, 2009 at 9:47 am

I love this so much. When you have time to dance, life is beautiful.
I can't wait to meet you and give you a hug.

Manic Mother November 22, 2009 at 2:23 pm

Nothing short of a poetic masterpiece! Love it. We dance a lot too, mainly in the kitchen in the mornings when I am cleaning.

Becca November 22, 2009 at 3:26 pm

Such a perfect analogy for life – and knowing when we've had enough of certain excitement? Perfect.

wendy November 22, 2009 at 3:37 pm

WOW, I really liked that post Heather.
My life has been
dip
dip
dip
ah routiine learned
now dip
dip
dip———again

but I guess we keep on dancing or the music will stop

wendy November 22, 2009 at 3:37 pm

WOW, I really liked that post Heather.
My life has been
dip
dip
dip
ah routiine learned
now dip
dip
dip———again

but I guess we keep on dancing or the music will stop

Wendi@Every Day Miracles November 22, 2009 at 5:09 pm

so lovely. :) You are one talented lady.

Mammatalk November 22, 2009 at 5:48 pm

Simply gorgeous! Now, off for some caboose shaking myself. Kinda got me inspired.

Corinne November 22, 2009 at 7:50 pm

Loved this one :)

DeNae November 22, 2009 at 9:09 pm

So vivid, so evocative. So "I've lived this and these are life's sweetest moments". Thank you for such a lovely, uplifiting image.

Kelly @ The Miller Mix November 22, 2009 at 10:05 pm

I love dancing with the my kids without worrying about anything but enjoying the moment and rocking out. It's one of the rare times when they get along and we can simply be. You capture it perfectly.

Sarah November 22, 2009 at 10:53 pm

Did I respond? I don't know if I responded.

Hmm. In my head I did. Does that count?

I can't see. Wait, I can't hear. What's going on? I'm caught inbetween exhaustion and blog overload.

But, I'm here, dipping with you. And the kids? They love the dancing. And me? It makes me remember how much I love to move.

This Heavenly Life November 22, 2009 at 10:54 pm

How do you DO that?! So good.

Aidan Donnelley Rowley November 23, 2009 at 5:34 am

"Fumbly and good." This is what life is and should be. Stuffed with uncertainty and shaky joys. The music, the glorious music, is always changing, fading in and out, fueling us and soothing us, but it is up to us to move, to fumble, to listen to the instructive and inchoate harmonies.

Dance, silliness, dips. This is part of being a mom and a person. In our home, we often blast the radio and dance as a family before bedtime. There is something magical about the goofy release and celebration inherent in the everyday.

Poetic stuff here.

Janet Oberholtzer November 23, 2009 at 8:34 am

Nice!
Love this … life has dips and spinning, so it's good to be flexible. Now I will try to look at the dips/spins as part of a dance instead of an interruption.

Billy Coffey November 23, 2009 at 8:55 am

I made the mistake of dancing in front of my family once. My daughter cried, my son just stared, and my wife started to dial 911 because she thought I was having a seizure. So I don't do that much anymore. But when I'm alone? Oh, when I'm alone I let it RIP!

Beautiful words, Heather.

warmchocmilk November 23, 2009 at 11:32 am

Love it Heather! I like how you related this sort of fun dancing to life. Good work!! :)
I have an anology for you over at my place.

Kazzy November 23, 2009 at 12:20 pm

So sweet! We love to dance to, but my kids are dipping me these days!

Jen November 23, 2009 at 2:10 pm

LOVE the last line. Totally right on sister!

blueviolet November 23, 2009 at 3:52 pm

You couldn't have ended that with a better line!

Ann's Rants November 23, 2009 at 4:26 pm

Really beautiful. Makes me miss dancing with my kids (back pain), but I think I will soon reclaim dancing queen status. Or at least dancing plebe.

BTW I love the idea of your Christmas Change above–and especially the directions to Grandma. Priceless.

Amber Lynae November 23, 2009 at 4:58 pm

So is it horrible that this made me tear up. And it was a perfect description of my dances with little princess.

Tooj November 23, 2009 at 5:20 pm

…or the music means nothing….

mama-face November 23, 2009 at 6:21 pm

There is magic in the music and the dance. Connections are made with no words.

amanda November 24, 2009 at 9:19 pm

fumbly and good.

brilliant. new friend. simply brilliant.

Eowyn November 28, 2009 at 3:50 pm

As I feel my life spinning right now, I feel this post down deep in my soul.

Truly we do keep dancing!

Romy December 5, 2009 at 12:25 pm

Great methphor for life! Enjoyed it very much. Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest!

Roban December 5, 2009 at 5:11 pm

I missed the original post…. So glad I saw it this time around!

semicrunchymama December 6, 2009 at 7:09 am

Oh, wow…this was amazing! Absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful.
"Either way, we keep dancing, or the music means nothing." — so perfect.

Ambrosia December 6, 2009 at 12:47 pm

I guess I didn't comment the first time I read this. I meant to…but baby started to cry or some other equally lame excuse : ).

The dance of life can be so intricate or it can be simple. Perhaps we make it more confusing than it really needs to be.

Kids will bring about inspiration, huh?

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