The blessing of sore legs

Well, the past four weeks have been hard, but life is wonderful again. I can dance and that really makes all the difference.

It amazes me how I can literally feel the difference, between dancing and not. My body feels it. Having to take a break was a very good (if difficult) reminder of a couple of things that I needed reminding of in my life.

First, it reminded to be grateful for dance. Always. Words cannot express how thankful I am to my Heavenly Father for my ability and opportunity to dance. There's something about dancing that makes everything else in my life seem better, even the things that are frustrating or hard. It's so much easier for me to face life when I can take a part of my day and spend it dancing. I love the feeling I get, both when dancing and when I finish practicing. There is no feeling in the world that compares to the one you get in the air, leaping. And there is no way to replicate the satisfied, just-good-in-general sensation to comes with finishing a hard dance practice. I am especially grateful for it now, having not been able to enjoy it for that short time.

Secondly, my break from dance reminded me that while there are important things in my life (such as dance) that I can spend my time on and be grateful for, I shouldn't ever shift my focus to those things away from the Gospel. It sounds a little silly, but I really needed that reminder. It really was hard for me not to be able to dance, especially being at the studio anyways so often. It was just a small trial, but to me, it didn't feel small. We learn the most and grow closest to the Lord, though, when times are toughest. And this experience was no exception.

Thirdly, it was a reminder that I need to work harder on my dance and especially be a more responsible teacher. It was hard, when I wasn't able to dance, to stay motivated with my other responsibilities as a dancer. Now that I can dance again, though, I am definitely feeling that motivation stronger, and I want to be better, both at dancing and at being involved in my dance group.

I am so glad to be able to dance again. I have never been more grateful for sore legs.