She Dances, Too

You know about the introverts, right?

We seem shy, and some of us are.  Maybe we seem nervous or scared to some of you, and some of you make us nervous and scared.  But some of us like to do the bold things. Some of us like to do the loud things. Some of us forget ourselves when we see the thing we want so badly to do.  Some of us don’t care that the ballet class hasn’t started yet. That the other kids sit along the wall waiting for the teacher. We will dance alone because that’s what we want to do.

We’re happy for you to join us in the dance, but you don’t need to.  Some of us introverts have so much in our heads to keep us company while the beat plays on that we may not even notice you’re there. In fact, we might not even notice that the class has ended.

Some of us will keep dancing wherever we are.

Some of us forget the other people in the rec center when we are dancing. Some of us completely forget that we are called shy, or nervous, or afraid. Some of us forget that part of ourselves – perhaps for just an hour or so – because we are trying the thing we want so badly to do.

I knew I was drawn to dance, that my body wanted to move whenever I heard a song, but I also knew that it was the practice that led me – for just a few minutes – to be bold, like my mom.  Once, I think I was a junior or senior, my mom told me she was afraid for me when I tried out for the dance team. “I thought maybe track would be more your speed.” I said nothing, but contemplated four years of running around in a circle, or along a wooded dirt path. I hated nature.

            My mom said, “I’m so glad I kept my mouth shut. You are a different person when you dance, and it is such fun to watch.”

            I’m glad my mom didn’t say anything, too. I’m quite certain that if she had, I would’ve never met this person. And I needed to meet her. She reminds me of my mom.

-from “Grace on a School Bus” by, me.