wishing we were better- wishing we had everything we don’t already.

We forget we are lucky.

Sometimes, it takes an unfortunate accident

to make you realize your own fortune;

because it only takes an instant for everything to change,

and an instant to see what you have in a whole new light.

Now with urgency, I want you to see what I now see.

Life is a blessing;

it can be taken away or altered at any time without warning.

Therefore, I will live each day to the fullest, so that if it were my last,

I would be satisfied with what I had done.

Be inspired by the strength and acceptance of others.

I see now, that often the people who have suffered the greatest,

lost the most, and experienced the worse pain,

are the same people who overcome tragedy,

appreciate life, and succeed beyond expectation.

They will forever be my motivation for optimism

and my reminder to not sweat the small stuff.

I will be content with myself.

Even as I continually work to improve,

I will remember that for every weakness, there is a strength.

For every shortcoming, a victory.

And without the hard days, one could never fully appreciate the good.

Dance is a gift, not just a talent, but an actual gift.

It is an outpouring of the soul, a communication of the heart;

using the most precious gift we have– ourselves.

We will not take this for granted.

Today, I release myself from the petty details of perfectionism,

and dance for the sheer devotion that movement gives to me.

Because of these things I have learned,

I vow to let go of the judgement,

let go of the self scrutiny for failed perfection,

let go of comparisons and disappointment…

because today, I dance for me.

I dance because I can;

because I stand on two feet, breathe life, and count my blessings.

I dance because I do not know what tomorrow will bring,

but am thankful for what I have today