Dance me a time step!

When my kids were little, and school was out, and we were indoors for a few days straight due to rain, everyone would start to feel a little bit trapped. Especially if we were looking at 4 or 5 days of rain on a non-pay week, where there wasn’t much money, entertainment and escapism were at a minimum. Even getting to the parks was out.

Like I said, we would feel a little bit trapped.

So, in order to move the day along, and at least keep the kids on their toes, I would arbitrarily declare a room “off-limits” except for those singing or dancing or skipping.

For example, if I had declared the kitchen a “singing only day” the kids would have to – if they dared traipse into the kitchen – sing their way through it. And if they needed something – like water, or you know…lunch – they’d have to tra-la their request.

I remember once, poor Elder Son, parched from running around the basement coming upstairs and asking for water.

I furrowed my brow. “What room are you in?” I sang.

Accustomed to stupid questions from me, he said, “it’s the kitchen!”

“Is it just the kitchen, today?” I jumped an octave.

Exasperated and rolling his eyes, Elder Son sighed and belted out, “Moooooom, can I have a drink of waaaater?”

Why yes, yes he could.

Other times I might declare that anyone going through the hallway and foyer would have to dance through. I still have fond memories of Buster, about age 6, trying to do a time-step and move forward simultaneously, then attempting to immediately sing his way through the kitchen.

The point is…I can’t look at any more news, today. It’s just making me sick. And I know from my email that it’s making you guys sick, too. And I don’t feel like doing some Lenten thing right now. Yeah, I know, Faith, God, Optimism – I like all of that, and I believe in all of it. But just this second, I don’t feel like praying, either.

I’ll do all of that later tonight and tomorrow, but for this afternoon, I just want to think about something else. I want to declare this a “dancing only” room, or a “singing-only” room. I want to skip into tomorrow.

Sometimes, when you are feeling trapped, there really isn’t much you can do about it but this:

Encore!