Dancing Through Life

Dancing Through Life

Life… Life comes in many different forms, but there is something in all of us that is the same. It is something beautiful, something heavenly. It is our song, a glorious harmony that gives us something to live for.

Everyone reacts to the song differently. Some sway to the music, hoping someone will ask them to dance. Some hide from it, hoping they can pretend it does not affect them. Some go against the music, trying to control the song themselves. Some pretend they are dancing, but they have no partner, and they end up alone.

Some, however, some choose to dance.

Everyone receives the invitation, all have heard the question "Will you dance with me?" Only a few will accept.

Strange, for someone to reject the hand of the song held out in front of them. For whatever reason, they ignore the call, and are perpetually asked the question until the song ends.

There are those who accept. They take the hand of the groom, who smiles warmly and takes them to the dance floor. They are unexperienced, but they are assured it does not matter. The groom leads them, starting in an easy three step at a moderate rate. They begin to get the hang of it and they laugh and smile as they dance.

The others, the ones who rejected the groom, and are still rejecting him, sulk and wonder why those dancing enjoy the music.

The dance does not end there. Suddenly, the music slows and some of the dancers become bored. They do not leave the dance floor, but some of them look wonderingly back at those watching, who now were talking amongst themselves. The dancers sigh, but continue dancing, the groom's eyes pleading for trust.

When the music does speed up, the dancers grow excited, but they stumble, realizing it is not the same as before. They mumble "sorry" to the groom, who smiles reassuringly and continues to lead them but the dance only grows harder. They begin to stumble more than once, the onlookers now laughing at their foolishness. "It is their fault… They chose to dance, after all," they say.

The dancers' faces grow red with embarrassment but they continue to dance, persevering with the strength of the groom behind them. Slowly, but surely, they are no longer stumbling in the parts they used too, but only when it grew harder.

The groom leads them in spins and pretzels and dips and even jumps. He never lets them go, but some are beginning to doubt as their minds grow dizzy and they stumble again.

This time it is worse. They have hurt themselves. They begin sobbing, but the groom still waits on them, lightly touching their shoulder to let them know he is still there. Some realize it more quickly than others, but all eventually do. They look at the groom, realizing he is still waiting and they let him encircle them with his arms, now swaying to the music, even while they cry into his shoulder.

He only holds them and whispers that he is still there, that they have nothing to worry about.

It is then when the people watching wonder why, and now, they are still dancing, for it looked much too painful and difficult. Then again, they have settled for not dancing at all.

Eventually they groom wipes their tears away and they begin to dance again. This time, even when they stumble, they continue, for the groom has yet to fail them. The dance becomes beautiful and filled with passion. The onlookers now are silent, and bitter that they could not join, even though the hand of the groom is still extended to them.

A gasp runs through dancers and onlookers alike, as the groom lifts them higher than he ever has, above his head and doing something none of them had seen before, something unexplainable.

The music begins to slow and he starts to lower them slowly. He eventually ends the song in a dip, telling the dancers to trust him.

For the onlookers, the dance ends there and they never hear the song again. Only a strange cacophony that sends slivers of fire through their veins. All because they never took the groom's hand.

For the dancers, when they open their eyes, they are on the most beautiful dance floor they have ever seen, paved with gold. The groom is still there and he is clothed in light. The most notable difference is the song. It is much louder, and softer, mysterious and beautiful than it ever was before.

This time, when they danced, they never stumbled and they always smiled and laughed. No one refused to dance, everyone danced at the same rate as everyone else.

Forever.

*cover image used with permission