Every time I find myself at a trailhead that forks between two roads in my life, I always somehow remember this song. I heard it for the first time from my mom on my high school graduation. Yes, it seems a bit on the sappy side, but the song has the kind of message mothers always want to pass along to their children. And it does work, even now, several years later, the song reminds me about what kind of decisions I want to make.
I want to choose to dance.
It’s not always the safe choice. It’s the choice that makes your heart pound a little bit harder, turns your mouth dry with anticipation, sends little jolts of electricity through to the tips of your fingers, and it’s the choice that makes you feel alive.
It’s not always the better choice. Because sometimes, it’s the choice that leaves you standing out in the rain, or with your heart shattered at your feet, or you find yourself tripping over your own feet and falling right on your face. It’s the choice that risks being foolish.
And yet, it is the choice.
Do I dance or do I sit this one out?
I hope I always choose to dance, no matter how foolish it may be. After all, as the song says, “Living might mean taking chances, but they’re worth taking; Lovin’ might be a mistake, but it’s worth makin’.”
I Hope You Dance
by Lee Ann Womack
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they’re worth taking
Lovin’ might be a mistake
But it’s worth making
Don’t let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling 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
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you’ll give faith a fighting chance
<<Will you dance with me?>>
Stop and Stare 