Balance and Inspiration

My Dad sent me an email this morning with a video clip that brought me to tears - you can read the background and see the video here:

Extraordinary Couple Win Dance Contest!

Chinese modern dance competition. This lady has one arm and the guy has one leg. The lady, in her 30s, was a dancer and had been trained as one since she was a little girl. Later she got into some kind of accident and lost her entire left arm. She was depressed for a few years but then someone asked her to coach a children's dancing group. From that point on, she realized she could not forget dancing. She still loved to dance and she wanted to dance again. She started to do some of her old routines, but by losing an arm, she also lost her balance. It took a while before she could even make simple turns andspins without falling.

Then she heard about a guy in his 20s who had lost a leg in an accident. This guy also fell into the usual denial, depression and anger type of emotional roller coaster. She looked him up (he was from a different Province) and persuaded him to dance with her. He had never danced before and to dance with one leg? Are you joking with me? No way, he thought. But she didn't give up & finally he reluctantly agreed, saying, "I have nothing else to do anyway." She started teaching him dancing 101. He had no concept of using muscle, controlling his body, and a few other basic things about dancing. When she became frustrated and lost patience with him, he would walk out. Eventually they started training. They hired a choreographer to design routines specifically for them and their handicaps. They danced so beautifully and powerfully that they legitimately beat all the others in the competition! They truly are incredible. Now enjoy watching them...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnLVRQCjh8c

I was quite emotional watching this video clip - for a variety of reasons. I am not a trained dancer but took many years of dance lessons. I've often wondered what my life would have been like if I had 'stuck with it' - or better yet if I'd had the drive and motivation to truly make it happen in my life. I wonder what would happen if I had the drive and determination that these two people in the video clip exhibit? and applied that in different aspects of my life?

It takes incredible balance just to walk (ask me I know! as I often trip and hit my legs and arms in the house) - can't imagine dancing without a limb. But doesn't daily life take balance in many aspects? It's good to be a balanced person and it requires such a concerted effort some days to keep from tipping over and losing it all. That reminds me of one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movie musicals: "Fiddler on the Roof"

Tevye: A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy. You may ask 'Why do we stay up there if it's so dangerous?' Well, we stay because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word: tradition!

Ahh....Tevya! That's right! Traditions, rituals, faith, customs, habits, routines, schedules and all those little daily things that keep us going. I hope you've been inspired. I have and will be pondering it some more. Now go forth - have a day! Be inspired and make it better for someone else!