Does a Slow Dance Cure It?

The other day as I was travelling to New Jersey for a Strength and Conditioning Summit ( I will never drive 12 hours again due to stiffness and Glutes maximus cramping) I was listening to one of my favorite book on tape.

It had a poem that until this time listening through didn't catch my attention.

But, for some reason this time it did and I thought of you.

It was written by a young teenager lying in the hospital dying of cancer.

Needless, to say her perspective was refreshing and a reminder to focus on whats important.

Please read it... I believe it will have a profound impact on you as it did for me.

Here it is...

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask "How are you?"
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say "Hi"?
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

Tell me what you got from reading this poem and leave your comments below...

In your corner,

Dion Riccardo

Comments

[Jeffrey D. Mankin]

Such a moving poem, as someone who lost a parent in the last year the message here is so true. If you have not told your family how much you love them, slow down, and take the time to share with them what is in your heart.

Thank you for sharing this with us

[Steve Pestlin]

Losing my mother at 18 put me on the wrong path in a lot of aspects. I started chasing things and doing things for instant gratification. I'd look forward to things and obsess about things that were months away instead of living in the moment. It would be hard to communicate here exactly what I was doing with my life so I'll leave it at; I wasn't content. I was happy in some respects (my marriage and home life) but not in others (personal development particularly.)

I started to make the change myself when I was put on cholesterol and blood pressure meds at 38 and weighed in at 211. About 6 months after initiating an excercise regime and diet at home I found Victory. I told Anthony B. after my first lesson "This is exactly what I'm looking for" and I signed up. I didn't know then exactly how true that statement was.

Now I don't obsess about what's happening a month from now or a week from now or even tomorrow. I think about what I need to accomplish today, how to structure my diet, how I'm going to perform in practice, how I'm going to meet the goals I've set for myself. I plan, prepare and execute, I've made my mantra "Don't be lazy." I'm more positive than I've been in a long time and that reflects in the people around me and I'm grateful for that.

Learning happens one day at a time and Victory has taught me to live in the now and appreciate the process of building myself into a stronger person again. It's inspired me to be a better person for myself, for my wife and family and for God. My mind and body are both funcitoning better than they have in over a decade and as I pass each milestone or achieve each goal I am grateful to the Victory staff for helping me find my path.

So, this poem really resonates with me as I've only recently found my way again. I feel I have better quality relationships with my family and friends and I finally feel calm, content and confident because of the dicipline's I've achieved through Victory. I am off of my cholesterol meds and walk around at about 155 pounds. I couldn't or wouldn't have done it had I not found Victory. The program truely is inspirational.

(Not to sound too gushy about the school but every word is true.)
Steve Pestlin

[DR]

Thanks for your kind words Steve!

You are a great student and you are achieving everything that Victory Stands for.

DR

[yahdiel robles]

i enjoyed the poem. what i got from this poem is that life isnt just about the destinations but the journeys we take to reach those destinations. also to slow down and appreciate everything also to let the people in your life know how they impact your life. and how they make it better.

[SR.]

THIS IS WHY I LOVE THE JAMAICANS-BECAUSE FOR SO MANY OF THEM LIFE IS HARD,YET MOST OF THEM DON'T STRESS.THEY PUT THEIR FAITH IN JAH(GOD).THEY GO EASY.IF THEY ASK YOU HOW YOU ARE DOING,IT'S NOT JUST A BUILT IN MECHANISM.THEY SINCERELY WANT TO KNOW HOW YOU ARE.THEY TAKE TIME TO SAVOR LIFE'S LITTLE TINGS THAT SO MANY PEOPLE TAKE FOR GRANTED.THEY HAVE RESPECT FOR LIFE AND ARE THANKFUL FOR ALL IT HAS TO OFFER -GOOD AND BAD(FOR THE LESSONS LEARNED).THEY ARE A VERY POSITIVE PEOPLE. ONCE WHEN I WENT DOWN THERE RIGHT AFTER A HURRICANE AND WAS LAMENTING BECAUSE THERE USED TO BE THIS BIG,BEAUTIFUL TREE WITH HUNDREDS OF BRIGHT ORANGE BLOSSOMS BEHIND OUR APARTMENT THAT HAD BEEN BLOWN DOWN.THE REPLY FROM THE JAMAICAN WITH ME?"NOW IT'S EASIER TO CLIMB" LIFE IS ALL THE MORE AWESOME WHEN WE CHOOSE LOVE, TO BE POSITIVE,TO SLOW DOWN AND BE APPRECIATIVE.TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED BECAUSE THIS LIFE IS SHORT.