Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor.

-H.Jackson Brown Jr.

It seems as though I've been comparing life to a dance a lot lately in my conversations with people. A dance marathon to be exact. I've spent much of my adult life in the medic tent at the marathon, putting band aides on heels. And then moved to the coat check area, taking on heaps of cumbersome things that others didn't want to be bothered with so that they could move freely about the dance floor, elegantly winning the praise of important people around them. I've felt comfortable and useful peering out from behind the warmth of the coats at the dance going on around me for a long time now. But I've come to realize that while being useful, I've also been neglecting the fact that I have my dancing shoes on as well, in hopes that the dance will find me, I guess. I've missed opportunities while hiding behind the vast needs of the people in my life who have come to rely on me to keep their lives in order. But, there is only one dance, one marathon, and I've finally come out from behind the coats to break in my shoes. I only hope that the rest of the dancers aren't expecting me to follow any choreographed moves...I prefer to make up my own.