Clean up & dance: Embracing your inner "5"

This is Kai and his very best friend in his pre-k class, Lydia:

We have heard loads about how "fun and silly" she is from Kai, and G and I couldn't help but fall in love with her contagious smile and spunky personality--even if it was just in the few minutes we get to interact with her in the drop off/pick up line.

Well, Kai has been telling us for some time how he and Lydia "dance together" in class almost every day. He doesn't always give the most accurate and detailed descriptions, so we haven't really been clear on what context this dancing was occurring in. It's not like we've been worried, just curious. Kai is pretty reserved and neither one of us could picture our timid son "twirling" his sweet little friend around to music.

Well, today I got to witness it with my very own eyes. 

I didn't cry, but I can't say I didn't have to blink back a few tears (duh). 

So, when it's time to pick up after free-play there is a song that is played, and if the students have the room completely cleaned up by the time the song concludes they get to have a "dance party." Well, today, they got to have a "dance party" and I watched as Kai and his Lydia immediately found one another and excitedly grabbed hands. When the "dance party" song came on they twirled and whirled and laughed and smiled and looked into each other's eyes with the most pure, adorable, fun-loving gaze I have ever seen. I could hardly handle it. 

. . .

We can learn a whole lot about relationships from children. 

They don't know how not to be real. 

With enthusiasm, they seek each other out. With eye contact, they engage in smiles and laughter, and without abandon, they dance.

What if our "grown-up" relationships with our spouses, our children, our friends and our family reflected the playful joy and engaging presence that we see in Kai and Lydia? 

There would be presence over presents.

There would be acceptance instead of expectation.

There would be joy instead of apathy.

There would be laughter instead of gossip.

There would be self-confidence instead of self-consciousness.

There would be dancing instead of doubting.

There would be life lived with glorious intention instead of hurried ambition.

So hurry up! Clean up your act before the song is over...

there is a dance party waiting to be had!

"Living a life fully engaged and full of whimsy 

and the kind of things that love does 

is something most people plan to do, 

but along the way they just kind of forget." 

Bob Goff (Love Does)

Happy weekend, friends!