And I Danced . . .

I recently had the opportunity to serve at the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Processing Center at Samaritan’s Purse Headquarters in Boone, NC. I could write column after column about the blessings of serving there (Don’t get me started . . .), but I’ll save that for another time.

Instead, I’ll share a story from my “off-time” in Boone, a charming town with lots of little shops and restaurants. My group decided to explore the downtown area, and my son was eager to explore a funky, hip consignment shop he’d read about online.

Notice those adjectives: funky, hip. I have a confession to make: I am neither of those things. Why I even agreed to enter the store, I’ll never know. The things we do for our kids!

My son was in heaven exploring the modern clothes as pop music blared from the speakers. My wife searched the racks and, lo and behold, she found a shirt in the style I like, in my size. In a hipster consignment boutique—miracles happen!

Surprisingly, my son didn’t find anything, so he headed out to the street as my wife and I worked our way to the cashier to pay for the shirt. The clerk greeted me, looked at the price tag, rung up the price on the cash register, and then said some words I’ll never forget.

“Ten percent off if you dance!”

I have another confession to make: I am a tightwad and will do what it takes to save money.

After a brief hesitation, I asked, “Really?” Then I did my best John Travolta/Saturday Night Fever/disco move, right there in the middle of the hipster store. “Does this count?”

“Yes!” She recorded my discount, and we finished the transaction. “You know, we just try to add some fun, but some people look at us funny when we ask them to dance.”

“Life is too short not to have some fun and dance,” I replied.

All the while my wife was cracking up, and, when we caught up with my son, he was highly disappointed that he had missed my shining moment.

My point? As we head into a new year, I think we should all seize those opportunities to “dance,” to take a risk, to have some fun. What does this have to do with writing? Everything.

That half-finished project? Work on it. That proposal that’s lying dormant on your computer? Submit it. That writers conference you’ve dreamed about? Make it happen and attend.

Life’s too short not to dance. And sometimes, you get a blessing (maybe even a discount) when you do.