I Won’t Dance……
The lyrics from the old standard, I Won’t Dance have been stuck in my head the past several days.
I won’t dance, don’t ask me. I won’t dance…with you. My heart won’t let my feet do things that they should do.
This past weekend, I received a couple of requests for charitable donations:
- An organic food retailer whose business I try to support was under “house arrest” as part of a non-profit organization’s annual fundraising drive, and so was soliciting “bail” funds to earn her release from jail.
- A dear friend sent an email inviting me to join a walk for another non-profit organization that serves individuals who have the specific disease her son has.
Especially in these hard economic times, it’s difficult to say no to someone in need. As a matter of fact, when I heard that a family I know (with 3 children), who lost all of their belongings when the apartment complex they lived in was destroyed by a (3am!) fire last week, I couldn’t get my checkbook and email notifications going fast enough.
And it’s really not so much about the money or even about turning down an opportunity for a lovely walk with people whose company I would no doubt enjoy.
So what’s the difference–and why does my heart stop me from participating in one instance and not another?
I’m like an ocean wave that’s bumped on the shore, I feel so absolutely stumped on the floor.
Over the past several years, I have come to the decision to stop contributing money or participating in fund-raising activities to disease-oriented organizations. It’s not that I don’t care about the individuals who are affected by any of these specific diseases. It’s more about the fact that we live in a culture that tends to identify and label individuals more by their disease (or other “shortcomings). So much so that we often lose sight of the wondrous being that they are (and continue to be) in spite of their personal challenges.
Ring-a-ding-ding, you’re lovely.
Over the years, my focus has shifted elsewhere. For me, disease is but a “context”, a sub-text in a person’s life. Instead, I try to focus my life and my work on what can be lovely (even if it means looking underneath and around what’s not obviously so).
So now, when someone asks, here’s what I am able to offer (with a light heart and gracious step): a gift certificate for a Basic “Barebones” Stresswell™ Appraisal plus a complimentary coaching session.
You know what? You’re lovely….you’re so lovely….and that’s why I won’t dance.
(note: image from liltree on Flickr)
