Dancing Lessons

I saw the beautiful Elizabeth Smart country dancing this week and couldn't help but watching her a bit as she danced with lots of guys who were constantly asking her to dance. She looked really happy and like she was having a lot of fun. Looking at her, you'd never know she had had so much trauma and horrible experiences in her life, except that everyone knows. It made me think how you really have NO idea what's going on in people's lives, even when they seem a certain way or act a certain way. The most important thing is to always be kind. Most people in the US would never be rude to Elizabeth Smart, knowing what she's been through. I'm sure she is treated so kindly everywhere she goes. But she did recently get back from her mission in Paris where I know people were rude to her, because she was a missionary and there are always people who are rude to missionaries. The nicest people can be rude to missionaries, I've been one, I know. If those people had any idea what she's gone through in her life, I know they wouldn't have ever slammed a door or yelled at her or ignored her or maybe she got rocks thrown at her like I did in Italy. They may have said "no thanks" and closed the door, but they wouldn't have been rude because most people are good in their hearts; they have compassion and sympathy and substance, especially for the wounded. I think we all have something in our lives that would motivate people to be kind, charitable and decent towards us if they knew we were going through or had gone through.

As for me, I was told I'd need two months instead of the typical one to learn how to country dance. I'll admit, I was one of the only girls in seventh grade who didn't make dance company. And I saw a picture of my dance recital in preschool and I was in my yellow polka-dot bikini bobbing up and down to the left side when everyone else was turned to the right. But it's not my fault, in the womb, I was upside down and backwards--I guess I've just always been a little bit directionally challenged (which makes it hard to dance, if you couldn't figure that out). Needless to say, everyone has their own talents.