With Abandon

I recently attended a wedding for a friend of the family. Cute girl marrying a cute guy. In love. The world at their feet. Etc. Etc. Etc.

The wedding was an outdoor event held at a church pavilion in their neighborhood. Yellow ribbon rippled everywhere.  I showed up at the tail end of the wedding; when everything was winding down and the wedding party was properly exhausted from greeting friends/family.  Perfect time for everyone to let their hair down and just "be".  


I've become a peeper. I stand back and watch people when I (hopefully) don't think they know they are being watched.  (Sidebar:  I've always wanted to do a coffee table book filled with photos of people doing everyday things in their everyday life. We are so interesting when nobody is watching.)  I think we are a beautiful species when we allow joy to surround us. And what's more joyful than a wedding?


There was music and dancing for those who wanted to give it a swing on the dance floor.  There's a secret dance star inside of all of us. We feel a beat without thinking about it. We tap our feet, or bob our heads. We sway to the music and feel the rhythm. Although, some are more capable of bringing that beat to life, each of us at least feel it.


I was sitting at a table, picking at a cupcake and watching the dance floor. There were probably 10-12 kids (I call them kids but they were probably 18-20 years in age) on the dance floor cutting it up with moves and grooves that would put Michael Jackson to shame. Okay - not that extreme but THEY thought they were bringing it on.


As I watched them, I felt their abandon. Freedom from life's weight. They spun and twirled with ease and grace. They watched each other, tried new moves; laughed when they maneuvered gracefully and laughed when they didn't. 


It made me smile to watch them. I think it was an important lesson for me. A lesson without a teacher standing before me with a life changing lecture. Yes, it's something we see daily (or at least I'd like to think we get to see it often.) It was simply something I needed to be reminded of. Live life with abandon. Don't get old and develop fear because of past failures. Dance. Laugh when you're good and laugh when you're bad. Just dance. And do it all with abandon.