CAN YOU DANCE WITH ME

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain.' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet... We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I'll let you know,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord..

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-Decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to......not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask ' How are you?' Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away..... Life is not a race Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

It's National Friendship Week.. Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND. If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends.

To those I have sent this to... I cherish our friendship and appreciate all you do.
'Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance! - Anonymous

A Light In The World

There are many in this world who are making a difference in other people's lives and I want to single out one woman who has changed the life of a Down's Syndrome young man. Her name is Marian Lancaster and she lives in the Pacific Northwest. Marian is a teacher and an improvisional dancer.

The young man's name is Dylan Kuehl. I attended a program at our local library where Marian and Dylan spoke and danced. Dylan's mother also shared a portion of his story. Dylan was born with Down's Syndrome and as a small boy he was severely abused. At age 9 his anger began surfacing and his behavior in the school he was attending was not the best. By the time he was 11, his mother, afraid for her life, was considering placing him in a residential institution. Fate stepped in and Dylan was assigned to Marian Lancaster. She recognized his anger and began teaching him improvisational dancing as well as art and this opened up a new world for Dylan. She
also taught him how to create a dream map and this young man is now manifestng his dreams and creating more.

Dylan is outgoing and loves to interact with people. He has become a motivational speaker, a dancer, artist, drummer and martial artist. Recently he has created his own dance company. His poem "Faces" received an International Society Poetry Award 2006 and his painting "Colored Hill" an Art Ability International Award 2006.

Thank you Marian for your wonderful work! You are indeed an inspiration. If you want to know more about her work, S.O.A.R. Special Opportunities in Arts and
Recreation you can email her at goldnbludancer@yahoo.com.
Or, write her at P.O. Box 21, Rainier, WA 98576.

Dylan has his own website http://www.dylankarts.com. He offers commissioned art, prints, calendars, postcards, bookmarks and greeting cards plus more.