14/01/2021
The Survival Dance: the beauty of one foot in front of the other
Our ancestors who lived in northern climes spent good portions of the year gathering resources to make sure their winters were marked by coziness and plenty. But no matter how well we plan, though sometimes the potatoes spoil in the root cellar. Grain stores get knocked over or ice locks up the lake. Sometimes, when we go through the winters of our lives, we just have to survive for a time.
Some days all anyone can really manage is one foot in front of the other. In those times the ability to dream big, or think deeply, create or transform can feel very far away. When others are seemingly gliding, and you are just here trying to walk, it can be easy to fall into self criticism. Am I just too heavy to fly?
And the answer is no... it’s just that you are meant to dance right now. If you are in a moment where all you can do is it put one foot in front of another, you are not lost. Nor are you slow, or uninventive, wingless or behind. You are dancing. One foot in front of the other is a creative act of deep fortitude and strength, and it is the building block of every tango, disco and waltz to come. This is the survival dance. And it looks like shuffling over the ground to bed down the grass and make a home. It looks like pacing the floor with a baby in your arms. It looks like crossing the threshold of your house in the a.m to get a few scant moments of sun before heading to work. It’s remembering that it is still a good thing to be alive. And agreeing to move forward. One step at a time.
Your survival, through the winter of it all, is a creation unto itself. It’s the dance that keeps all things together. It is worthy. And it is beautiful.
