August 21, 2020 “How are you doing?” Changing Lives Through Dancing
Week 34 8-21-20 “How are you Doing?” Changing Lives Through Dancing
Are you OK? Just checking in with you. How is your health, mentally and physically? How is your family, job, business, place of worship, your friends? Are you eating well, exercising, praying, sleeping, still connecting with others? Are you all right?
I’ve had a hard time going to sleep, and when I wake up, I’m sometimes startled when I fully awake and realize all that has happened. There are mornings that it takes my breath away.
I know that things will never go back to being the old normal, and that the world will never be quite the same after this. We will all be better and have a great story to tell a year from know about how we made it through the pandemic.
“The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.”
– Sarah Ban Breathnach (B – 1947)
Author, Speaker and Philanthropist
This quote has always inspired me. I dream a lot. My dreams are vivid and strong and very real to me. The difference in my life is that when I awaken from a dream, I get up and do something. Is it my dream of what to cook for breakfast, my workout for the day, a blog to write, a letter to send, a new plan for Arthur Murray Events for the upcoming week. It must be my father’s blood in my veins that I turn dreaming into action.
“Wisdom comes alone through suffering.”
– Aeschylus (525 BC – 456 BC)
Greek tragedian
We’re all suffering in some way during this pandemic. Rich or poor, young or old, in some way we are all affected by this worldwide crisis. We will all be changed when we come out of the other side of all of this.
“What does not destroy me, makes me stronger.”
– Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844 – 1900)
German Philosopher
At the beginning of the covid lock down, I felt shock and felt my spirit being crushed. Our vibrant school with a year of goals and plans for a successful year was stopped in just one day, for 91 days of closure. And now, we are still not allowed to have groups or parties in our school. Then, the riots on May 31st sent me into a state of panic and unbelief. Seeing our city looted, burned and so many businesses destroyed took my breath away.
The healing began immediately, for the day after the riots, thousands of SantaMonicans were out with brooms and graffiti removal across the city. It was a beginning to the healing that we are still experiencing in Santa Monica. Sad to say that there are still many businesses closed to covid, many businesses still boarded up, and heavy restrictions due to the virus. Yet, all this is making us stronger.
“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.”
– Epictetus (50 – 135)
Greek Stoic philosopher
I am a person of quick action, yet I cannot make this global crisis go away and make the virus disappear. I cannot snap my fingers and have our students flock back into our school as before. I must be patient. So, I will still show up and do my best and not worry about what I truly cannot control.
“Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.”
– Henry Ford (1863 – 1947)
American Industrialist
I believe that we can make it through this horrible worldwide crisis. I believe that our Arthur Murray Dance Center in Santa Monica will grow back even stronger and better than before. I believe that we can do this, and I think I’m right about that because of my faith in our current and future success.
Remember, we will make it through all this. It will get better…and it will!
Thank you for reading. Thank you for supporting Arthur Murray Santa Monica as a small business in Santa Monica! We appreciate you!
Love to you all. Stay Healthy. Stay Safe. Be Well!
David Woodbury