Dance like no one is watching

I received this in an email from a friend. The message is timeless. And worth saving

Dance Like No One is Watching

My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's
bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package.

"This," he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie." He discarded
the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite; silk,
handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price
tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached.

"Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8
or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a
special occasion. Well, I guess this is the occasion."

He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other
clothes we were taking to the mortician. His hands lingered
on the soft material for a moment, then he slammed the
drawer shut and turned to me.

"Don't ever save anything for a special occasion.
Every day you're alive is a special occasion.

I remembered those words through the funeral and the
days that followed when I helped him and my niece
attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected
death.

I thought about them on the plane returning to
California from the Midwestern town where my sister's family
lives. I thought about all the things that she hadn't seen
or heard or done. I thought about the things that she
had done without realizing that they were special.

I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed
my life. I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting on
the deck and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds
in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family
and friends and less time in committee meetings.
Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to
savor, not endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now
and cherish them. I'm not "saving" anything; we use our
good china and crystal for every special event-such as
losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, the first
camellia blossom.

I wear my good blazer to the market if I feel like it. My
theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one
small bag of groceries without wincing. I'm not saving my good
perfume for special parties; clerks in hardware stores and
tellers in banks have noses that function as well as my
party-going friends.

"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip
on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to
see and hear and do it now.

I'm not sure what my sister would've done had she known
that she wouldn't be here for the tomorrow we all take for
granted. I think she would have called family members
and a few close friends. She might have called a few former
friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I
like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner,
her favorite food. I'm guessing I'll never know.

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I
knew that my hours were limited. Angry because I put off seeing good
friends whom I was going to get in touch with - someday. Angry
because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write -
one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband often
enough how much I truly love him.

I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything
that would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning
when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special.

You've got to dance like nobody's
watching, and love like it's never
going to hurt....

People say true friends must always hold hands, but true
friends don't need to hold hands because they know theother hand will always be there