Let me just say, it’s probably not the kind you are thinking about – there are no tips involved, but the rewards are great. I have spent some time these past few months pole-dancing – hooked up to an IV pole while receiving something called IVIG therapy for a condition I have – I won’t bore you with the details. Each dance lasts about four hours and I do them for five days in a row, once every four weeks. There are many inconveniences I could complain about, but they are far outweighed by the fact that if I were not pole dancing, my condition could worsen and the quality of my life would be significantly lessened. So, given the choice, I think I’ll stick with the pole dancing.
Every time I have to go to the bathroom, I have to wheel my pole with me and the IV pump has to run on battery power. When my rear end gets tired of sitting, I have to waltz around the room with my partner in tow, making sure I avoid the other pole dancers sharing the room with me. If I stray too far from my partner, it yanks on my arm where the needle is attached and reminds me quite quickly that I need to keep my partner with me. One of the things I have come to appreciate about pole dancing is that it gives me time to think about the different realities in life we don’t often concentrate on if we don’t have to. For example, we often carry a lot of baggage around with us. Some of it is obvious. At its worst, the baggage that is connected to us can become so cumbersome that we have to pay more attention to it, spend more time lugging it around, letting it sap our energy and make us tired; than we do in enjoying and appreciating all that is joyous and good and energy-giving in our lives. Just like pole dancing, the things we are connected to may be inconvenient. On the other hand, it is good every now and then to be reminded that we rarely journey alone in life and can be helped and strengthened when we are paying attention to our partners and the other dancers in the room. We need to remember to keep those we dance with in our considerations and in our hearts. After all, if we weren’t connected to each other, the quality of our lives would be significantly lessened.
Another reminder courtesy of pole dancing is that we are not in control of as much in life as we’d like to think we are. Sometimes things happen to us that we don’t like, didn’t invite or cause, seem unfair or just downright lousy and we still are left with trying to figure out how to live with it. For me, this is where faith comes in. As a Christian, I am not immune to the trials and challenges of life. Bad stuff happens to everyone. My faith is what offers me hope in the future and a more joyous vision of the present life. My faith supplies me with lots of dancing partners who hold me up in prayer, who help me when I need it and who share their own unique dances with me. I really do believe that God is involved in the dance right along with me and you too, for that matter, whatever your dance may be.
