Hunting For Moments Of Grace(fulness)

photo @ Alan Lande

Happy 2015!

That feels good to say. Fresh starts are always great-whether it's a blank computer screen, clean sheets on the bed, or a semi-New Year's resolution.

I've embarked on a large, ungainly project: to write about the connections between the spiritual concepts of grace and the more quotidian aspects of grace and gracefulness in our daily and creative lives.

This year I've decided to keep a daily log/journal of the small moments of grace I encounter as I go about my daily routines. Just simple things that make me think, that give me pleasure, that make the world feel like it's humming.

Yesterday, for instance, I took an early morning walk in the glorious sunshine. My destination was a hilltop vantage point to view the snowy mountains. On the way, I happened upon a small shelf tucked into a picket fence. Have you ever seen those neighborhood lending libraries? Leave a book, take a book? Well, this little shelf was "Take a toy, leave a toy." And a row of plastic dinosaurs, along with a baseball, were arrayed there for somebody's pleasure. Made me smile.

If you read this blog (somebody must, right?), you know that dance and dancers make me smile, too. A great performance touches me in a place beyond words, and I think of it as another small moment of grace. And that got me to wondering if dancers feel that grace, too.

I'm looking for dancers to talk about how you feel when you are dancing. Seattle b-boy Brysen Angeles told me recently that dancing, at its best for him, feels like he's tapped into a universal energy. British choreographer David Dawson's "A Million Kisses To My Skin" is a dance that sets out to show us how a classical ballet dancer feels when he or she is really lost in the onstage experience.

I'd love to hear your stories, if you're willing to share them. Leave a comment here, or find me on Facebook.

Oh, and a grace-filled new year to you all.