How old are you?

So I am often encouraging you guys about giving, being creative, and doing what you love. And though I truly believe it, sometimes this road is really, really tough. Many of you know how much I love dancing (as you probably have seen by the title of the blog and my videos), and you might also know that I find a lot of joy teaching dance. Well, today, I was going to start teaching a new class when I discovered, literally 5 minutes before the class, that I was going to be teaching 3-5 year olds-I thought they were going to be 7-10 year olds. There were only 4 of them (Thank God!!!), but 2 of them seemed like they were younger than 3- after class, a mother specifically told me her daughter was going to be 3 soon, so I guess that's fine? One of them couldn't say her name, so I didn't know what to call her the entire class. When she tried to say her name, I asked the girl sitting next to her if she heard anything, and she said "..."? What? Why aren't they communicating? Though I love kids-I swear I do- these kids were crazy!!! For an hour, the only thing I taught these 4 girls was how to hold their arms up in a circle, down in a circle, and in the middle in a circle. That doesn't even make sense, which is exactly my point.

Although, it wasn't all terrible. We did learn how to make butterflies on the ground, which was great. This started because I was trying to have them sit in a circle and tell me their names, and one girl just fell back and started saying, "I am a butterfly". So, I hopped on board and told all the kids, "Let's make butterflies". As you can tell, I was thrown for a huge loop.

Sometimes life throws us for a loop. We really do try to give all that we can, and somehow we get into a situation we had no idea was coming. There is no way to prepare. There is no way to avoid. All you can do is...make butterflies. Now, I am going to tell you, I was pretty mad that this happened to me. I didn't want to be teaching this age group. I didn't want to be running around after 2 year olds. They honestly didn't learn anything. If I would have put in a video of Dora the Explorer, they would have been better prepared for a dance class. But, you know what, I did it. Life is hard. We all can attest to that.

Somehow though, in the midst of all the craziness, I knew one thing, these kids were having fun. They might not be doing anything I am telling them. They might be tripping over their own feet(and then crying because they fell...then crying because they hurt their eye wiping it too much). But hey, they are enjoying life. The joy that they have is incredible. I learned so much from watching them not pay attention to me. You know the biggest thing I learned? They were mesmerized by life.

I want to do that. I want to be mesmerized by life. And you know what? I think I am sometimes. When I dance and celebrate, whether at a "You Are Loved" party or making a video to thank you wonderful supporters, I often feel mesmerized by life. I feel the joy and the excitement these kids do, maybe more. And my joy isn't coming from making a butterfly on the ground, though that is surprisingly fun. My joy comes from seeing you people make a difference.

Now, I have posted the Dance Like Zach manifesto here(it's free, YEAH FREE THINGS!!). It is all about making a difference. And if you haven't signed up to be a part of our Dance Like Zach movement, I strongly recommend that you do. It will change your life.  

My final words to you...if life throws you a loop, make butterflies. Be mesmerized by life.