Dancing Like Nobody's Watching

Last night I went to a concert at a church in Burlington. The performers were amazing, but what struck me the most was the young girl in the front row...

To the (maybe 13 year old) girl at the concert,

You don’t know me, and that’s okay. You were sitting in the front row at the concert last night and I couldn’t help but notice you. Not because of your long, beautiful pony tail, or pretty pink shirt. But because of your joy and reckless abandon. You sat in the front row and you sang and danced and clapped and laughed to your heart’s desire. I never once saw you look around or pay much attention to your surroundings. You didn’t spend all night checking Facebook or Instagram or texting with someone. You danced and sang and participated and took pictures to capture such a joyous night.

Dear girl, don’t ever lose your sense of self, because your self is beautiful. Don’t ever stop dancing to look around. Don’t ever stop singing for fear that someone might hear you. Don’t ever stop laughing in an attempt to shrink yourself down. We were created to experience such joy, and I’m not sure where or when we learned to censor ourselves in order to fit in. But sweet girl, what a beautiful reminder to live in the moment and experience the joy as it comes. And to really experience it, wholly and with every ounce of our beings, no matter what anyone else says or thinks or does. At some point in life, someone may tell you you’re too loud or too outspoken or too big or too dramatic. But the truth is, you are never too much and you are always enough.