I’m very glad I chose not to make a New Year’s resolution about posting more frequently. I would be feeling so defeated about now. Actually I’m glad I didn’t post Monday, when I had told myself I certainly would. Instead I took advantage of some false spring weather and went for a motorcycle ride with a friend. Frankly, life is too short to work on a 70 degree day in the Kansas “winter” unless you positively have to.
Can’t remember why I didn’t post yesterday, but I’m going to say it was because I had to catch up on work I didn’t do Monday. . . Yeah, I like that.
I have been working on a gig for the Indian Health Service Oklahoma Area Office. One of the sessions I will present is my Rx for Stress: Laughter + Control. the last point I always make in that presentation is that we shouldn’t defer happiness, and I often read “Dance Like No One’s Watching.” It’s a lovely piece and I have always cited it as “author unknown.” In an effort to avoid copyright infringement by posting it here, today I did some research. Someone named Crysta Boyd claims authorship, but I’m not certain about that. I have also seen it attributed to everyone from Mark Twain to Satchel Paige.
Satchel Paige
So Crysta, Mark Twain and Satchel Paige estates, with or without your permission, here it is:
Dance Like No One’s Watching
We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren’t old enough and we’ll be more content when they are. After that we’re frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.
The truth is, there’s no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It’s best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.
So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you’ve had a drink, until you’ve sobered up, until you die to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy…Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
Work like you don’t need money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like no one’s watching.
Author unknown
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