My daughter is six.
Wait, let me start again.
My daughter is six and a half! She won’t let me forget that part. Ever.
Anyway, we attended a function over the weekend, for a family member who is going to be starting college this year. The function was a gathering of friends and family, from both sides of the aisle, but we knew only a handful of the people in attendance. Even so, when the DeeJay starting spinning the tunes, my daughter was one of the the very first out of her seat to dance—all by herself, without need or want of anyone to dance along with her.
She was spinning, leaping, twirling, and moving her body to the beat of whatever he played—whether she’d heard it before or not—and she did so regardless to the 100+ set of eyes that watched. She simply didn’t care if anyone thought her odd because, in her mind, it was less about the spectacle than it was about the sheer joy of moving her little body to the music.
I watched her do this for two straight hours—as I beamed: proud, happy, and smiling from ear to ear—and whenever someone approached me to comment on the dancing beauty in the center of the room, I would simply say “she just loves to dance”.
I share that to say this, how many of us are floating through life, afraid to take chances, because we’re worried about the judging eyes that might be watching us? How many of us truly know what it means to dance like no one is watching? How many of us can truly say that we are living this life as we want to live it…minus the worry that comes with trying to please others?
I can tell you this much, as I watched my beautiful baby girl dancing—without fear of judgment or ridicule—I never felt more inspired to find an answer to those questions, and I never felt more humbled by the ability of that six-and-a-half year olds ability to teach her 38-year old mama a lesson on what ‘individuality’ truly means.
Living Fit Mommy 