Too Shy To Dance

Spiritual Story by Paulo Coelho

When I was an adolescent I envied the great "Dancers" among the kids on the block, and pretended I had other things to do at parties – like having a conversation. But in fact I was terrified of looking ridiculous, and because of that I would not risk a single step.

 Until one day a girl called Marcia called out to me in front of everybody: "Come on!"

 I said I did not like to dance, but she insisted.

 Everyone in the group was looking, and because I was in love (love is capable of so many things!), I could refuse no further.

 I did not know how to follow the steps, but Marcia did not stop; she went on dancing as if I were a Rudolf Nureyev.

 "Forget the others and pay attention to the bass," she whispered in my ear. "Try to follow its rhythm."

 At that moment I understood that we do not always have to learn the most important things; they are already part of our nature.

 When we become adults, and when we grow old, we need to go on dancing. The rhythm changes, but music is part of life, and dancing is the consequence of letting this rhythm come inside us.

 I still dance whenever I can. With dancing, the spiritual world and the real world manage to co-exist without any conflicts.

 As somebody once said, the classic Dancers are always on tiptoe because they are at the same time touching the earth and reaching the sky.

Joke

 Who Says Men Don't Remember Anniversaries
 
 A woman awakes during the night to find that her husband was not in their bed.

 She puts on her robe and goes downstairs to look for him. She finds him sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in front him. He appears deep in thought, just staring at the wall. She watches as he wipes a tear from his eye and takes a sip of coffee.

 "What's the matter, dear?" she whispers as she steps into the room. "Why are you down here at this time of night?"

 The husband looks up, "Do you remember 20 years ago when we were dating, and
 you were only 17?" he asks solemnly.

 The wife is touched thinking her husband is so caring and sensitive. "Yes, I do," she replies.

 The husband pauses. The words are not coming easily. "Do you remember when
 you father caught us in the back seat of my car?"

 "Yes, I remember," says the wife, lowering herself into a chair beside him.

 The husband continues..."Do you remember when he shoved a shotgun in my face and said, "Either you marry my daughter, or I will send you to jail for 20 years".
 "I remember that too", she replies softly.

 He wipes another tear from his cheek and says... "I would have gotten out today