To my girls...

Tonight your Nanna took me to a dance show, called Burn the Floor, at the Civic Theatre. It was brilliant. As it came to end and the crowd stood up to applaud, I was overwhelmed by emotion, and I suddenly felt as if I had so much to say to the two of you. You see, there have been many times in my life when I found myself wishing that I had learnt to dance, which is kind of strange because I don't have much rhythm! Dancing brings so much joy, it's fun, it's beautiful, it's sociable (it's many other things too - but you'll only learn about those when you're older :-)) Often, when I arrive home from work, I pop one of your favourite CDs into the player, turn up the volume and we dance. You love it and you laugh so much. We dance until I fall onto the floor - exhausted.

What I'm really trying to say is that I would love to have been a dancer on that stage, but I've never had the curiousity or the confidence to really figure out what my dreams are and I feel now as if I have missed out on much in my life.

There are so many lessons for you to learn as you grow. There are going to be many times when you will turn to me and to Dad for the answers - and we won't have them, but we will do our best to advise you as well as we can...

As the excitement and mystery of life stretches before you, treat every day as an adventure. Live life with curiousity. Question everything. Never stop learning. Discover your passions and follow your dreams. Make sure you know what those dreams are - you may feel sometimes that you don't have any, but just because they seem little or silly, doesn't mean they aren't worth dreaming, and your dreams can change from day to day - or year to year. Write them down, tick them off. Whatever they are, follow them - sometimes you may have to put them on hold for a while, but don't forget about them. Never be selfish or rude, treat people with respect. Treat yourself with pride. Always be proud of who you are. Make yourself the most important person in your world - but not in an arrogant way. What I'm really trying to say is that you must learn to look after and love yourself before you can do the same for others. Don't rely on others to turn you into a better person, accept people's help and listen to their advice, but it's up to you to figure out the life you want to live. As you develop your relationship with your inner being, you will find that your relationships with other people, will be more fulfilling - and the people drawn to you will love to be around you. Some will teach you, others will learn from you. Don't let negative people sap your energy, but don't kick someone when they're down. Be positive, attract good things. Allow yourself to fall in love - it's the best feeling in the world. Don't be afraid of being hurt, you will mend, but don't give yourself over entirely to another person - you will lose yourself.

And dance. Whether you can...or you can't, whether you have rhythm...or you don't, it doesn't matter. Just dance - everyday, to the beat of your own life, and you will learn to love the opportunity that life is.

"You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth."

~ William W. Purkey ~