Day 17_Playful Manifestation

Dancing has always felt playful to me.  I began studying ballet at age nine and have been dancing through life ever since.  One of my earliest performances was choreographed to depict a young girl playing in a meadow.  There were flowers to pick, a babbling brook to traverse, a broken tree branch to balance on and the brightest sunlight that shown down over the scene.  I skipped, jumped, and twirled until the very end of the dance when I turned faster and faster, lost my balance and plopped down on the ground.  I landed with my legs apart, feet flexed and my hands outstretched, looking up and smiling from ear to ear.

The move seemed so real that some in the audience thought I really had fallen although it was part of the choreography.  Kids in the audience laughed robustly, and I felt I successful with my execution of the finale.   I had hypnotized the audience into believing my magical world on the stage was real.  I wasn't ashamed, embarrassed or disappointed with the reaction.  It was so much fun dancing that piece.  My dance teacher, Ms. Stadler, and I had the best time creating it because it was the first dance I had ever choreographed and it was perfect.

That is Lila.

The most beautiful part of this story is that I had nothing to defend or feel embarrassed about.  Kids can sometimes be mean, and to be ridiculed by someone feels cruel.  However, I was so confident about my choreography and knew exactly how I was to fall and land, that it didn't matter people were laughing at me.  They were supposed to.  My goal was to bring joy into their hearts.  I had choreographed it that way.

Wouldn't it be nice if I felt that way today?  Each day before I step out my door, I could set the intention to have as much fun as possible, pick some flower, do a little skipping and twirling around for fun.  I could prep my to-do list, just as I choreographed my dance, and go out to accomplish those tasks on my list that will help me reach my goals.  And, if for some reason, I fall flat on my behind from failing to meet them entirely, I could try it again the next day without feeling shame, remorse or embarrassment.  That would be spectacular!

There is no shame in failure, just like Ms. Stadler, it's my best teacher.  I learn from my mistakes.  If I knew enough as a child to choreograph a fall into my dance, then today, as an adult, I can remember to prepare for a few bumps in the road.  As I gracefully accept those missteps, which will inevitably land me on my behind, I can happily play in this dance of life.

The play of life. How does it show up for you?

Love, Peace, Namaste,
Clarita

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