this week has taught me patience.

If I added up the time I spent waiting (for the F train, for the doctor, for a juice, for CVS pharmacy), I probably could’ve written 5 more chapters of my book.

 While waiting, here’s what I learned -

There’s a time to speak up and move the process along (like when 15 minutes go by and you ask the counter person when your immune-boosting juice will be ready and they realize they lost your order, so good thing you spoke up but you end up getting sick anyway so you wonder if the immune-boosting juice was worth the $8 or not).

And there’s a time to just be in it and wait (like when the CVS pharmacist tells you it will be another 15 minutes for your prescription because they forgot to put in the order, so you get angry for a sec but then hear Eric Clapton’s “Change The World“ on the radio and start singing it directly to the elderly gentleman sitting in the waiting area (“I could be the sunlight in your universe!”) who then smiles so big and says Thank You and you feel all warm and fuzzy because you were just being yourself and it really made someone’s day brighter and you realize that waiting in CVS isn’t the worst thing in the world and maybe you should spend more time singing to people instead of responding to emails on your phone in every free second you have).

And then of course there’s the bigger waiting - that suspense that happens after you put your work into the world and wonder if anyone will buy/read/watch/enjoy it (which is what’s currently happening with the upcoming show and so much of the work I’ve been cultivating over the years).

You release a creative baby into the world, teach it how to walk, and then send it off to Kindergarten as you sit home and cry. There’s nothing you can do at that point but trust. (and share its Kindergarten pic on Instagram?)

And so you wait. And maybe cry. And you are thankful for the setback of being sick because it’s really teaching you how to wait. And you meditate because that really helps you practice patience and you have a sense that the more you find your center, the more easeful the waiting will be, the more those things you’re waiting for will make their way to you, because isn’t a flower more attractive than a bee?

I wrote this to remind myself, but I hope it reminds you, too:
 

plant yourself. let your petals bloom. stop buzzing around so fast or you’ll miss the whole point.

 patiently witnessing my head cold disappear,

p.s. I’ll be leading Be a Dance Rebel this Friday and next at Studio Maya in Brooklyn for free as part of NYC Dance Week. Want to come? RSVP here.

We’re also gearing up for our annual YCDA showcase, The Dance Rebels’ Revival Show. I cry tears of inspiration just thinking about how special it’s going to be. Early bird tix are available until June 18th here.

Outside of that, there’s a new online offering I created called Dance Alone, Together that provides you with a series of videos and guided audio tracks to lead you in a more authentic, supported dance experience in the comfort of your home. Details here.

Dance on, my friends.