Words of Wisdon - National Dance Week

 

Are you ready to bust a move? It's National Dance Week, celebrated April 24 - 30. Dance week was created to "increase public awareness and appreciation of various forms of dance (Wikipedia)." This is also a good reason to get your body moving, and shaking as a form of exercise.

Here are 3 ways you can celebrate National Dance Week:

1.    learn a new dance - participate in a dance workshop, try a form of dance that's new to you.

2.    Attend a dance production - do you know a youth whi is participating in a dance recital? Attend their event and cheer them on. Perhaps there is a national dance company visiting your area, take in a show.

3.    Create a dance challenge with friends - each day this week make a commitment to put on music and dance for 15 minutes. You decide what this looks like to you. It could mean listenng to music as you take a walk, dancing in the mirror as you dress for work, or dance in the kitchen as you prepare dinner.  No excuses, just do it.

What are your tips for celebrating National Dance Week?

Fun Friday – National Humor Month -Read the Small Print

 

Where do you find humor? It’s not a mystery, extensive research is not needed, it’s often right in front of us. For me, it’s family…and other life situations.

Tupac Shakur was a popular rap artist in the 1990’s. One of my sons was born the same year that Tupac died, yet both of my sons talk about Tupac’s music as though they were around at the time of his fame. My older son surprised his brother by visiting him at college, with a birthday gift in hand. It was a small gesture, but one he knew his brother would appreciate. Maybe.

My older son entered his brothers’ apartment with a broad grin across his face and holding the gift behind his back. “I got you something.” He whipped out a rolled-up poster that had a quote along the side. “This is you Bro, read the quote.”

“…by the words of His mouth…okay, that’s nice.”

“It’s a Tupac poster.”

My younger son began unrolling the poster, “Um, I don’t think this is a Tupac poster.” Stars and constellations danced on the poster as my son read the entire  quote to his brother.

“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made and the stars, by the word of His mouth” – Psalm 33:6

As my son recanted this story to me over the phone I said, “Did you get Tupac confused with Jesus?”

I told my son about an old spiritual song parishioners used to sing at my grandfathers’ church. The lyrics were, take the Lord along with you everywhere you go; You’re gonna’ need Him, everywhere you go.

The poster error was one way of telling my sons they needed a little more Jesus and a little less Tupac. I still had one lingering question for my son, “How did you think you had a Tupac poster?”

The answer was simple, “I just grabbed the wrong one, the posters were all next to each other.”

Read the small print and know what you’re getting. It’s not always bad, just know what you’re getting.

Have you ever misread a label?

And because it’s National Humor Month, check out my YouTube video on other life situations that I’ve found humorous.

Wordless Wednesday - Have You Laughed Today? - Dry Bar Comedy - Jenna Kim Jones

 

YouTube Video Credit: Dry Bar Comedy - Jenna Kim Jones

YouTube Video Credit: Dry Bar Comedy - Jenna Kim Jones: Skinny Jeans

Motivational Monday – Order My Steps

 

Sometimes my thoughts race around in the manner of the picture book, If you Give a Mouse a Cookie. I’ll start doing something and it makes me think of something else, which leads me in yet another direction. It happened this way…

I starred at all the shoes scattered near my front door. What a mess. I blew a breath of frustrated air from my mouth and got silly with the shoes. An invisible thought bubble popped above my head. I was reminded of the gospel song, Order My Steps, which reminded me that I’d written a previous blog post titled Order My Steps. So here we are…

A past blog post worth sharing again.

 

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” Psalm 37:23

How do you walk through your day? A long day at work can leave one feeling drained, worn out, and sapped of energy. Judging by the trail of shoes near my front door, that’s exactly what happened.

As I kicked off my shoes at the end of the day, I plopped onto the couch to unwind. In a brief moment of relaxation, I glanced at the shoes, and reflected on my day. The position of the shoes remined me of the gospel song, Order My Steps. The lyrics to the song say, “Order my steps in your word dear Lord. Lead me, guide me every day.”

Beginning the day with prayer is one way to prepare yourself for the day ahead. You fuel your body with food and your car with gas, it’s important to fuel your mind as well. Read a devotional, meditate, engage in something peaceful at the start of your day. You’ll find that you get more milage to get through your day.

If you ask God to order your steps, be ready to move your feet. If you say, Lord help me to get along with Karen today, she aggravates me; be ready for how he answers. When Karen comes up to you with a negative attitude, murmuring and complaining, resist the urge to cuss her out in your head (or out loud). Your steps are being ordered. How will you handle the situation?

If you need a reminder to calm yourself, get one of those W.W.J.D. bracelets and slide it on your wrist. You may remember them from the 1990’s, the thin wristband held acronym W.W.J.D. which stood for What Would Jesus Do. The significance of the bracelet was to remind the wearer to “act in a manner that would demonstrate the love of Jesus through their actions.”

You don’t have to run this race called life, alone. Let your steps be ordered by the Lord. Begin each day in a quiet place, do something that provides you with peace or inspiration. Fill your spiritual with something positive. Before you respond to a situation think about the W.W.J.D. bracelet. What would Jesus do?

 

Fun Friday – Spirit Week

 

Do you remember having Spirit week in high school? Every day held a different there – Twin Tuesday, Wacky Wednesday, and Backwards Day. The week was filled with giggles, laughter, and bonding; It was all about fun.

As we celebrated Fun at Work Day on my job, I was reminded of Spirt Week. My co-worker and I set out hula hoops, a jumbo Connect 4,  jumbo Jenga, and other games for employees and the public to enjoy. There was also a photo booth for silly photos.

I took my weighted hula hoop to work, swung it around my waist, and encouraged others to join in. Several of the senior citizens who walk at the facility where I work, grabbed a hoop, and demonstrated their skills as they reminisced. “I used to be good at this,” one man said.

It felt like Spirit Week all over again as people cheered each other on with chants and chuckles. “You got it, go Cathy.” One co-worker had so much fun that she decided to order a weighted hula hoop of her own.

The day ended on a high note. I stopped by my mom’s house after work to chat with her. As I recanted the amusement of my day, my son interrupted with a face time call. “Hey, I’m at Granny’s house,” I said.

“Tell Granny hey…”

My son stopped talking mid-sentence and starred at me before he spoke again. “Ma, is your shirt on backwards?”

The backwards shirt that no one noticed I was wearing.

I pulled the neckline away from my neck, starred at it, “Yep, I think it is.”

My son AND my mother erupted in laughter. Then I felt the need to explain…

“I knew the shirt felt a little snug, I just thought I’d gained a few pounds. There’s no tag in the shirt, and the writing in the neckline has faded.”

“It’s ok Ma, we just need to have someone check you out before you leave the house.”

And that is how I ended my Spirit Day…Backwards Day. I shared my episode with co-workers the next day, and they assured me that they did not notice the faux pas.

Although, we’re well past our high school days, it’s still fun to engage in fun activities. I would go so far as to say it is necessary, for our health and wellness.

Fun at Work Day

Create a Spirit Week at work if that’s an option, or for your family. What type of things would be included in your week?

Wordless Wednesday - National Humor Month

 Laughing at life's challenges...can you relate?

Dave Schwensen's Comedy Showcase