In 2000 Lee Ann Womack came out with a song “I Hope You Dance” some of the lyrics read:
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin’ might mean takin’ chances, but they’re worth takin’
Lovin’ might be a mistake, but it’s worth makin’
Don’t let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to sellin’ out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
My goal after we pay off our debt is to “DANCE!” Taking risks, pushing aside traditions, and making the most of opportunity are somethings that comes more natural to Mike than it does to me, after all he has been a rebel all his life;-) I am excited about the possibilities, terrified of the unknown, and wary the potential pitfalls that we could find ourselves in as our life is bound to change in the next few months! But at the end of the day we want to spend more time as a family. We want to teach our daughter about Jesus, and about the freedom that comes from living a life with Jesus at the center! It’s not that we can’t do that and have Mike working 85 hours a week, but we are so much stronger together. Goal for the future: Spend time “dancing together!!”
Speaking of dancing, I learned something recently that has changed the way I approach things in my classroom! I am a teacher at a preschool, I teach up to 12 children, 15 months to 2 ½ years old! I took some online training. (Carecourses.com) Its required for my job but this particular training got me thinking! (Day by Day with Toddlers: Curriculum Planning for ages 12-24 months) it talked about Dancing in the classroom. “Vary the rhythm of the music you play for toddlers’ dancing. Waltzes and polkas are two favorites. . . . Dance with the children, but encourage them to dance in their own way.” (page 30)
Music time in my classroom has always been an exciting activity! The children run to the rug smiling and cheering whenever it’s time for music. (I’ve listened to Baby Shark so many times. . . .ughh!!) But when the music starts they don’t really do the motions with me, they stare at the screen and watch the show! Even with me doing the motions or helping them do the motions no one really follows along! Occasionally, one or two might attempt the motions but it wasn’t the level of interaction that I wanted! I know that they enjoy music but I was struggling to find ways for them to become active participants and not just observers! After reading the Care Course a light bulb went off (metaphorically.) The ‘show’, the motions, the bright colors and movement on the screen were all distractions to the music and therefore to the dancing! I started with the waltz and the polka, as suggested in the training and was shocked at the results. The children who would normally just stare at the screen were now dancing and moving to the music! It was like giving my class an empty canvas and telling them to paint whatever they wanted, instead of giving them a coloring sheet were they are required to stay inside the lines. It was freedom! Freedom to dance and move however they wanted, instead of copying what someone else was doing. Toddler’s have some moves; toe swivels, booty shakes and I even saw a little boy doing the ‘sprinkler’ and waving his hands in the air! They wiggle and giggle, they stomp and soar! Intrigued I didn’t stop with the waltz and polka, we listened to swing, tango, smooth jazz, classical and marching band music. Most of the songs had a photo as the background and that was far less distracting than the bright colors and movement of the typical children’s songs! In the following weeks we played with scarves, jingle bells, ribbons, clapped our hands, beat on the floor like it was a drum, and twirled in circles! Polka quickly became one of our favorites with its bouncy beats!! By announcing to the other children what one was doing, I was able to draw attention to the children in positive ways that encourage them to dance and move to their own beat! I love this!
After about a week of experimenting with different types of music, I played ‘Taps’ for my class, 10 toddlers immediately turned and looked at the screen, they were transfixed! No twirling, no swaying, no smiles, no giggles! They knew, without a single word from me, that this song was different! A two-year old looked at me a said ‘This is sad!’ They sat solemn for the two minutes of the song! Music can definitely change our moods. I played a peppy up beat song next and all their smiles and giggles came back! PHEW!
I also experimented with elevator music! When I turned it on the kids, almost immediately, began to wander away and play with toys. My coworker looked at me and said ‘I think you lost them’! I rolled my eyes, changed the song, and they all came rushing back! I laughed so hard!
In full disclosure, we still listen to Baby Shark and other children songs, and I have found that the kids are more apt to do the motions with me now! All different kinds of music and less distractions seem to bolster their self-confidence, now they dance and move more!
Our count down to being DEBT-FREE is down to 10 days! We should be able to make the final payment on my student loans in 10 days! This is a goal that we have been working on for almost 9 years, have been working our butts off for the last 11 months and we are super excited!! . . . BUT we are kind of divided on where to go from here! Mike wants to sell our house (When you come close to sellin’ out, reconsider) and move in with family members to help cut costs, to be a blessing to them, and to reach our goals of traveling even faster! (Livin’ might mean takin’ chances, but they’re worth takin’) I on the other hand crave security and the comforts of my own home! (I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance) I would love to travel and go on adventures but it is important to me to have a home to come back to. I want to dance, I want to learn our family dance, I want us to learn to “Dance Together!” Just because everyone else is doing the same motions doesn’t mean that they are the right motions or that its the only way to dance to that song! My new goals are to Wiggle and Giggle my way through my fears of failure and uncomfortable situations!!(Never settle for the path of least resistance) Spin in circles around bad attitudes and to learn a lesson from my toddlers and “Dance Together!”
The phrase that got me through Truck Driving was “We can do anything for 6-months!” (At least with truck driving I had an end date!) So my phrase that is going to get me through this next set of challenges is “Through everything we can ‘Dance Together!’”
