Dance Like There’s No One Watching
By Annmarie Miles
(From the July - September 2017 issue of VOX.)
There’s a fantastic park near us. It’s my usual walking/running venue these days. It’s always kept in pristine condition and a new riverside path has just been opened, adding another option to the varied routes I like to take.
My favourite path is a tree-lined, winding avenue that leads away from the main park to some exit gates. They open out onto the main road that would take me in the opposite direction to where I live. So, when I get to the end of that path, I U-turn and go back the other way, and I always feel totally stupid doing it.
I don’t know why, but I feel anxious as I get to the gates. Inevitably, there’ll be cars stopped in traffic just outside. Drivers sit staring into the park as I do a ‘180’ as if I’ve forgotten where I was going. Or worse, another runner enters the park just as I’m about to U-turn, so it looks like I’ve taken a shine to them and decided to follow them.
It’s such a beautiful path, I can’t not take it but for those few moments as I reach the end, I dread the about-turn.
A couple of weeks ago, I THOUGHT I had the path to myself. As I got near the gates, there was no traffic and no sign of any one entering the park. I ran a few steps further than usual just to make sure that I was alone. I peeked out the gates; there was not a soul in sight. In celebration, I added a couple of dance moves to my U-turn. I did a bit of cha-cha, complete with hand flourishes, and swung around only to be greeted by two joggers, a mum walking with her little one in a pram, and a council worker doing some litter-picking - all coming towards me.
You know when they tell you to dance like nobody is watching… well, guess what? NOBODY was watching!
They weren’t taking a blind bit of notice of me. They didn’t stop, stare, or applaud (#gutted). The mum walked her little one out of the park and up the road. The litter-picker didn’t miss a beat of his whistled tune. And here’s the real kicker! The joggers got almost as far as me when they nonchalantly U-turned and headed back up the path.
“Who knew?! The world is not standing around waiting for me to look stupid. The world is not poised, mocking grins ready, waiting for me to fail.”
And neither is God, even though I do fail… every day.
I believe it’s quite the opposite with God. I believe He is poised, loving smile ready, waiting for me to succeed. Applauding my efforts. Ready to forgive and encourage if I blow it.
So I’m off to the park. There may be running. There may even be dancing, but I’m not going to worry about who’s watching me, ‘cos I know Who’s watching over me.
Annmarie Miles is originally from Tallaght and now lives in her husband Richard’s homeland, Wales. As well as VOX articles, she writes short stories, and is working on a book about her journey with food, weight gain, weight loss and God. Visit her blog at www.auntyamo.com. On Twitter she is @amowriting.
Illustration: Donal Casey
