The Balancing Act

"You can't sit on this porch for the rest of your life like this!" said Lyn. "We are going dancing and that's it!". I hadn't been out socializing for six months. I would go to work, come home, sit on the porch, and write. The book was finished and the computer had just crashed that afternoon before I saved the massive editing job I just did. It was the day after Thanksgiving 1997. We drove the 12 miles out to the river where a band was blaring out some relatively high quality music for a country bar in a fish camp. Lyn went there often, so had her dancing partners all lined up and was off, beckoning me to ask someone to dance. I wasn't about to do that - women didn't ask men to dance. It was the other way around in my book!! While struggling with the courage to ask anyway, a pencil thin tall drink of water was in front of me with his hand out. "What the heck", I thought and let him lead me to the dance floor. He was not one for conversation, but then, neither am I. So, silently he led me through a cross between a country two-step and a tango. He actually was quite good and I was quite clumsy, out of practice with the art of being flexible and spontaneous as I was. We danced an then he was gone. Vanished! Poof - with a cloud of smoke!!
I sat there for what seemed like forever while Lyn spent the entire time on the dance floor and if no one was there to dance with her, she danced with herself. She was having a joyous time.. I was envious of her decision to just go ahead and dance. I remembered when I was like that. I was jolted out of my dream world by a hand in front of me, held out as an invitation to dance with him. No words, no encouragement other than the hand out refusing to back off. I rose and let myself be led once again to the dance floor. After a fast dance, a two-step, and a hugger-up slow country sad song, I knew his life's story and never had to say a word. I do recall that evening as having danced all night.
Sometimes I wonder where Lyn is now. Does she still dance? Is she joyous - spontaneous and free flowing? Whereever she is, she returns as a messenger on my meditative council. Her message arrives on those occasions when I am tempted to just sit on the porch night in and night out. With her comes that hand reaching out to lead me to the dance floor.
Passing the time on the porch is very relaxing especially watching the moon rise over the lake. But,then there is the dancing. That's equally important. That's where the balancing act happens - the quiet solitary time and the interactive social time.

What gets you off your reflective butt and out onto the dance floor of your life?