February 16, 2021
I’ve written a lot over the years about the final dance. That single most unpredictable moment when what you once had is no longer part of the path. What was your final dance? In 2009 I not only penned out the lyrics to a song titled The Final Dance but had it professionally recorded. It’s always difficult to share the story of why a song is written because a listener’s interpretation is a huge part of the process of being an artist. Why it came into being may not carry the elegance of dance as it enters your moment of process. The final dance of a different type was my subject on November 28, 2020. I live in a forest and have struggled for years with how leaves turn yellow and slowly dance to the ground. The relationship between the tree and leaf set free to blow in the wind pains my soul. Their final dance. Over the past fifty two weeks all of us have shared one thing in common. A global pandemic. Just like the leaves on the tree and the snowflakes that float from the sky, each of us may have that commonality but we’re all different and extremely unique. We’ve learned to identify with what feels like a new us but in digesting the constant weight of uncertainty we’ve been reshaped by way of expression. Which is art. Those so willing to release what moves through them have given permission to their souls to release their personalized leaves. Their art has made the final dance. And as I continue to dig deeper into the subject at hand my silent wolf way of life, a people watcher has spent the past fifty two weeks studying how many of us haven’t changed. Still clinging to the tree. Holding on so tight that it’s causing stress and anxiety. As if to be afraid of the final dance. A leaf’s journey is seasonal and can’t be protected. A pandemic cannot be compared. Not everyone believes in the universe in the way you walk. Don’t keep clinging. Through all that’s thick and unexplained give yourself permission to locate dance. To express in your own artist walk and way. I’m not saying to let the world see your creations. The choice is for you to see how beautiful change is and will forever become in you. Accepting the final dance doesn’t mean the end. It’s always the first step of your brand new beginning.