The Dance

 "I could have missed the pain but I would have had to miss the dance”

One of my favorite songs of all time is “The Dance” by Garth Brooks. How many things would we avoid if given the gift of knowing the future. How many times would we take a different path to avoid the pain of a love lost, betrayal by a friend or a stupid financial decision.

Some of my decisions have sent me tumbling down some pretty rocky inclines but was it the wrong path? I’m not sure I can say yes. Maybe a few bruises were what I needed to wake me up. Although the path I’ve taken from there to here was not the most direct, the easiest or the most pleasant at times, there were times when it was absolutely fantastic. Given the choice I might have avoided some of the mud, some of the wind and rain but had I done that I might have missed some of the most awe inspiring sunrises after the rain. It’s slow going through the mud but the memory of a mud fight with a good friend can never be erased or the memory of mud sliding on “borrowed” cafeteria trays can’t be topped.

The saying “it is better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all” seems a little too pat but it is true. My heart has grown through love only to be broken but because brokenness more room was made for even more growth.  

Being single does not make me less than what I’ve always been, just different than I have sometimes been. I’ve had love that was like the 4^th of July and love that was more like being wrapped up in a warm blanket on a wintery day. Now I have the memory of both and the contentment of knowing I will be fine by myself or with someone else. Who I am is not determined by my situation. That was one of those falling down the rocky incline realizations.

Some things are best undone, some things are best unsaid but in the end whether we take the easy way or the hard way it’s the destination that’s important and the journey is just a giant added bonus. Don’t worry about the detours, those off in the ditch moments or an occasional dead end.  If you had known better you might have missed that obstacle but you might have also missed the dance.