Dance then, wherever you may be… ‘Our senses are constantly bombarded, and yet we miss most of what happens around us. It goes by us, past us, over our heads. We attend only to a fraction, a t iny fraction, of what we might. Then something strikes us. We don’t know why, but we are paying attention and this thing, event or reality or whatever, begins to matter. This is a blessing: this thing, whatever it is, that is drawing us out of ourselves. Melting our loneliness and forging some kind of connection, making a pathway for sharing with others.’ ‘Rain, for instance’ says Stephen Cherry, ‘I always disliked the sound of rain, it reminded me of schooldays and wet breaks inside the classroom, until someone suggested that that it’s drumming sound was a kind of music, a dance even, and that I should listen to it.’ It is suggested, from a psychological view, that our way of responding to things is fight or flight, but recently two new words have been added to this concept about the human condition: freeze and fawn. These interesting words represent two other ways of responding that perhaps reflect today’s pres sures, culture, and society. Freeze amounts to being numb and immobilized, where you cannot think or act. Fawn is about our wanting to avoid conflict, ensuring safety by appeasing or complying and sacrificing our own needs to keep the peace. I suggest the greatest threat to our well-being and good health in our time is the condition of our minds. The brain is the hard drive of our body, and it is beaten to death every day by the amount of information we believe we are to take in. None of us can escape. The story of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, asking his closest friends to walk through this journey to the cross alongside him, is a beautiful example of this for all involved. The disciples could not stay awake with him and eventually flee from the impending danger of the Romans. And we are told that Jesus Himself, sweat drops of blood so tangible was the fear of what was coming. Easter is the time we celebrate the Hope that Jesus brought and continues to bring us all! He overcame fear—not by flight, not by freezing or fawning, but by love, grace, and understanding. God became one of us—one of His created beings—and now, as a fully thinking, feeling, experiencing person, He has made a way to rescue us. Body, mind, and spirit: learn to dance. Allow your spirit to engage with the life God promises you. The truth will set you free—to dance your way through life. Easter Blessings to all… Revd. Veronica. X
