Life's Little Hokey-Pokey Dance

I've decided that whomever or whatever created the universe has a delicious sense of humor. Life often strikes me as a bit of a dance and, lately, it seems ever more like the Hokey-Pokey. All this twisting and turning about -- putting your whole self in and out. It can be a tad confusing even though there is a rhythmic organization to it. Perhaps this is "just what it's all about!"

I bring this up because life is about choices and some can directly define your life. I was reminded of this when I opened up my most recent edition of Heron Dance's Latest Pause For Beauty. The creator, Rod MacIver, mused this week:

When I started Heron Dance fourteen years ago I had a message. My answers are not so clear now. The road has a lot of twists and turns. Many setbacks were associated with my own foibles. Many of my twists and turns have to do with my attraction to complexity and poor people skills. My answers are now more in my art than my words, which is why art now plays a larger role in Heron Dance than it did in the early years.

Life is mysterious. Those who would offer to explain it to us on radio, TV, or in a book need to be considered with caution. If there is a spiritual force in the universe, and I certainly believe there is, it could well be that we are not meant to know its true nature. Perhaps we are meant to struggle with the uncertainty, the mystery that surrounds us, and embark upon a journey in search of our own answers. We grow through the setbacks on that journey. We experience life in a deep way.

When I think of words that are true—the constellation of stars I use to set my bearings—they are words of a few quiet, reflective people I’ve met over the years. Their words would not make sense shouted from the roof tops. They are words that arise out of living simply and close to the land. Or they are the words of living close to music, or art, or of serving others. The only common denominator that I can think of is that they are the words of people who have a definition of beauty and have built a life around living in close connection with that definition. Yes, they are intelligent, well-read and well-traveled, but out of those diverse experiences have evolved lives that are simple and built around a few carefully considered elements—elements that are to some extent preverbal.

And, I think he's exactly right. We may not know where we are going but the trick is to find a joyful path AND to build a community around it that buffers you during life's more uncertain moments.