The Language of Love

“…the way this bird swoops from an alcove out into the light, the way no one notices but a small child who stops and points—it all reminds me of the day we met. Something flew out of you and I was stunned that something in me flew out to meet it…” -Mark Nepo

These days I am falling in love over and over again by taking dance lessons with my husband. This has required that I allow him to be the ‘leader’ no matter what (!), that I wear high-heeled shoes when flip-flops and flat soles are my norm, and most of all, this constant letting go of a fearful “not knowing” as I’m led around the dance floor—oftentimes backwards and blindly. Trust is the word that swirls around my head during the ‘sore toe’ moments, aching joints, and near collisions.

On the other side of the challenges, we both revel in the feeling when we move together as one, when we bodily remember these new steps, this new language of music and physicality and rhythm. It is great exercise, loads of fun, and good for our brains as we stretch into something so unfamiliar.

Mostly it is romantic, a reminder of all that has been—and continues to be good in our relationship of twenty years. When I read Mark Nepo’s poem a few days ago, I smiled in recognition at his words – “something…flew out of you…and something in me flew out to meet it.” Dancing brings me to this place often now, a re-acquaintance with love’s capacity to grow above and beyond any first “stunned” meeting. It’s a place I am savoring, and craving, for all it’s worth.

What love are you dancing towards, however bruised and blind you may feel?