As much as I love to dance and despite the fact I’ve been dancing for years, I consider myself a novice dancer (click here for my dance resume).  I don’t mean to discount any of the classes I’ve taken but they only skimmed the surface*.  I often felt as though I was taking the same class over and over but with a different instructor.  Once in a while I would find a class that pushed me, but my ever-changing life never allowed me to stay long.  My work schedule would change or I would move, and I’d find myself searching for another challenging class only to find myself taking a basic course because that was all that could be found and it was better than nothing. 

It would be easy to focus on what could have been had I received quality training when I started taking classes at age eighteen.  I see and hear other stories of dancers who got a late start and wonder about the dancer I could have become.  But life is what it is.  I cannot change the past.  I’ve learned that I can’t allow my lack of training to impede my enjoyment of dance or my participation in its various styles and expressions.  All I can do is focus on becoming the best dancer I can be in this moment. 

Of course there are days when it is rather difficult to watch an exquisite dance performance and not experience a twinge of jealousy.  But instead of wallowing in the sea of what-could-have-been, I allow the beauty created by other dancers to further motivate me as a dancer. 

My journey through dance has been more about becoming the woman God has created me to be than about becoming the best dancer in the world.   As I pursue my passion, I continue to gain insight and grow in self-knowledge. 

And so my training continues.  My most recent dance classes have been amazingly helpful in this pursuit by pushing me beyond what I thought myself capable of.  I choose not to think about the dancer I might have become because I’d much rather enjoy the dancer I currently am.

*Disclaimer: This has not been the case with my current class, which has been challenging, bad habit-breaking, grueling and great fun!