Lately, my new favorite hobby and stress reliever has been ballroom dancing. It's somewhat similar to what you see on Dancing With The Stars minus the extreme theatrics, flexibility, athleticism and costumes. Detroit has its own signature style of ballroom dancing.
Initially I found the dance form quite challenging. This might not seem likely since I've studied dance for over 20 years, but ironically, that dance training was the thing that made it difficult for me. You see, while I'm accustomed to dancing as a part of groups or teams, I am still in charge of my own body and movements. Ballroom dancing is all about following the leader. I had a hard time following, because I'm so used to being in control.
I found that it was not until I completely let go and trusted my partner, that I was able to execute the dance smoothly.
Here are a couple of things that held me back...
Trying to anticipate the next move. Instead of trusting that my partner would lead me to where I needed to go, I would try to anticipate his next move and make it before he led me to it. This often caused us to stumble or come to a halt, which inevitably led to frustration. Think about how often we see this in our own lives. We try to control or manipulate every situation, in the ways that we think that they should go. If we were just patient enough to take a step back, exercise some faith, and trust the process, things would go much more smoothly and there would most likely be an even better outcome.
Being too stiff. Sometimes I need to just loosen up! Before getting into the actual ballroom dance steps, the man usually begins by leading the lady in a dance called the social. The movement is so fluid that it's almost like a little girl standing on top of her father's feet while he whisks her around the room. If you are too stiff during this part of the dance, it's difficult for your partner to lead you. Sometimes being led is simply about being loose and flexible. We become so rigid and set in our ways that we are not open and flexible enough to be led down a path that may be much smoother for us.
Once I began to let go, my partner and I began to flow. I heard people say things like, "You two look like you're floating." It's as if I had become an extension of him as opposed to two people working independently of one another.
The moral of the story? Have some faith and let go so that you can be led. When you do so, the path is much smoother and the destination is much more amazing. Trust the process. Trust the plan. Trust the steps. Trust God.
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