Dance with the Rhythm of the Changing Tides
As I sit here with a cup of tea in a mug that makes me smile, opening my fingers to what wants to speak through me, to you, in this newsletter, I keep hearing the song lyrics…:
Rhythm is a dancer
It’s a soul’s companion
People feel it everywhere,
Lift your hands and voices
Free your mind and join us
You can feel it in the air…
To ensure you don’t hold these surprisingly profound lyrics too tightly, below is a link to the song. I hope you’ll groove along with me as you read this. Or better yet - take a break, dance with the rhythm and embrace all the SILLINESS in this song, and then come back and finish reading :)
Lyrics popping up in me is a symptom of that thing I mentioned… You know, that thing that’s wanting to speak through me. This thing about rhythm.
I just beated out a Shakespearean sonnet, feeling the heartbeat of the iambic pentameter along with the crashing waves and momentum of when the rhythm demanded to change itself.
There are moments in which emotion and need are so strong that they require a different rhythm.
Do you know this in your life?
If you’re breathing and at least somewhat aware, then yes I would say so, though perhaps in a different way, and by other names.
Events happen that require us to change our rhythms - events from the outside and/or events on the inside. These events from the inside could be occurrences from the past that are finally ready to be heard and honored. Oh how confusing that can be! Oftentimes it is a sign that not only is the inside-event/feeling ready to be heard, but also that you have the support you need to be with it. This support you have could be the ability to reach out to a trusted practitioner, or to a friend for a referral.
When these events present in our lives, they change the rhythm. The rhythm of the days and a schedule that has grown familiar, perhaps even cozy and trustworthy. We must change how we dance if we are to keep up and be truly alive for our lives.
Dragging the feet is tempting but brings more suffering. Sprinting ahead can feel exhilarating but is ultimately inauthentic, manufactured, and causes strife and tension. Instead of being caught in our heels and pushing forward, we must be on the wave, ride it, dance with it.
Rhythm is a dancer… do you have practices that are designed for riding the waves and changing tides? Do you practice in a way that enables you to be an adaptable dancer in sometimes chaotic, unpredictable rhythms?
Rhythm is soul’s companion - so the song says. I want to dance ever-more and ever-deeper with Soul. Not only do our souls call to be heard and expressed, but also the world and times we are in ask us to be more soulful, as well. Will you answer the call?