There’s something about Thanksgiving that begs us to pause and reflect. I have so much to be thankful for. I suspect many of us have more to appreciate than we have time to ponder, but the focus always returns to the people who enrich our lives and the experiences we’ve had that have changed us for the better.
This Thanksgiving, I’m recovering from some sort of virus that has me too weak to join in festivities. I’m on the mend but I am alone. I woke up feeling pangs of sadness. . .alone on Thanksgiving without my husband for the first time in at least 10 years. I felt sorry for myself for a good 30 minutes. Then the calls and texts started pouring in. I was thought of by people in Cleveland, NY, CT, Montreal, Portland (a la Maine), Kansas City and Sacramento. I took my dog on a peaceful quiet walk amidst snow flurries with hardly another person in sight. I got some work done, cleaned up as much as my energy would allow, and began to feel nurtured, loved, and grateful.
So, while I’m thankful for a closet full of Bellas, a collection of chocolate and spices (things I swoon for), technological gadgets, a steam cleaner (which I’m surprisingly excited to own), that stuff is just… stuff. I’ve been reflecting a lot on my relationship with dance and the amazing people & experiences it offers me regularly. From my first recital dancing as a Christmas present with legs to dancing solo in theater shows, paring movements to music has been my security blanket, my social life, my passion and my motivation.
I know the day will come when I have a different relationship with dance and that it might even take a back seat to my life. The end of 2014 represents my 15 year mark with bellydance. I’m excited to see what the future brings.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Copyright: William Winters
Tava's Bellydance Blog 