Dancing to Your Own Tune
T.W. Winslow

  

When I was a boy, my parents owned a small mom-and-pop grocery store.  It was nestled against the foothills of the small Idaho town where I grew up.  It was one of those neighborhood stores where customers were greeted by name, bags were always carried out, and if someone was short a few dollars, they could simply make it up the next time they were in.

At the time, I occasionally resented having to work in the store while all my friends played.  But in retrospect, the many wonderful experiences working in the store afforded me more than made up for any lost freedoms of my childhood. Though I learned what hard work was all about and the value of a dollar, many of the most memorable experiences from my days working in the store came from the people I met.

As I think back to those days, many people come to mind.  Some of the faces I can still see clearly; others have become blurred with time.  Some I remember for their kindness, others for their eccentricities, and still others I remember simply because they were so unique.  One such person was Nick.

I still remember the first time I saw him--or perhaps "experienced" him is a more appropriate term.  The moment he entered the store I could feel a surge of energy fill the place.  Singing at the top of his lungs, Nick made quite an entrance.  He had jet-black hair and a thick moustache.

Being nearly as round as he was tall, his colorful tie rested comfortably on top of his prominent middle.  He claimed he was Greek and that he was quite the ladies' man--both of which I seriously doubted, but chose to believe anyway. 

Though his job as a wine salesman might not have been the most exciting or rewarding, you sure couldn't tell it from how he acted. Nick had an irrepressible zest for life.  If he ever had a bad day, I certainly never knew it.  Never before or since have I met anyone whom I instantly liked more or who could, without fail, make me smile--both inside and out.  I marveled at his ability to be completely himself and at ease with everyone he met and in every situation.  It didn't bother him in the least that some found him to be quite the spectacle.  In fact, I think it just encouraged him that much more. 

Nick was as charming as he was loud, as kind as he was funny, and as warm as he was obnoxious--you couldn't help but love the guy. For me, his appeal wasn't really what he did or how he did it, but rather that he was absolutely comfortable simply being himself--a true free spirit.  The memory of Nick reminds me of the encouraging phrase, "Dance like no one is watching."

I can remember watching him as I went about my duties at the store, wondering what possessed him to act as he did, and laughing at what a character he was.  But when I think of Nick now, beyond the craziness, I see the confidence he had in himself, the confidence which allowed him to cast away his inhibitions and insecurities, to live life on his own terms.  And, as much as I admire him for that, I can't quite seem to find that same confidence in myself.

Countless times I've suppressed expressing myself--joy, sadness, laughter, tears--simply because I didn't want to risk looking silly or foolish.  I often hide my true self behind a wall of insecurity, but revere those who lack this inhibition.  No doubt this is why I remember Nick so fondly, for he was who he was, and didn't for a second hold any of it back.  Whether you loved him or hated him, Nick most certainly danced to his own tune and never apologized for it.

Perhaps someday I, too, will have the courage and confidence to learn the steps to that dance.

  


 
quotations - contents - welcome page - obstacles
our current e-zine - the people behind the words - articles and excerpts
Daily Meditations, Year One - Year Two - Year Three - Year Four
     

Sign up for your free daily spiritual or general quotation
~ ~ Sign up for your free daily meditation

   

  
tm

All contents © Living Life Fully, all rights reserved.

   

We have some inspiring and motivational books that may interest you.  Our main way of supporting this site is through the sale of books, either physical copies or digital copies for your Amazon Kindle (including the online reader).  All of the money that we earn through them comes back to the site in one way or another.  Just click on the picture to the left to visit our page of books, both fiction and non-fiction!

   

     

Yes, life can be mysterious and confusing--but there's much of life that's actually rather dependable and reliable.  Some principles apply to life in so many different contexts that they can truly be called universal--and learning what they are and how to approach them and use them can teach us some of the most important lessons that we've ever learned.
My doctorate is in Teaching and Learning.  I use it a lot when I teach at school, but I also do my best to apply what I've learned to the life I'm living, and to observe how others live their lives.  What makes them happy or unhappy, stressed or peaceful, selfish or generous, compassionate or arrogant?  In this book, I've done my best to pass on to you what I've learned from people in my life, writers whose works I've read, and stories that I've heard.  Perhaps these principles can be a positive part of your life, too!
Universal Principles of Living Life Fully.  Awareness of these principles can explain a lot and take much of the frustration out of the lives we lead.

     

Explore all of our quotations pages--these links will take you to the first page of each topic, and those pages will contain links to any additional pages on the same topic.

HOME - contents - Daily Meditations - abundance - acceptance - achievement - action - adversity
advertising - aging - ambition- anger - anticipation - anxiety - apathy - appreciation - arrogance
art - attitude - authenticity - awakening - awareness - awe - balance - beauty - being yourself
beliefs - body - brooding - busyness - caring - celebration - challenges -
change - character
charity - children - choices - Christianity - coincidence - commitment - common sense - community
comparison
- compassion - competition - complaining - compliments - compromise - confidence
conformity - conscience - contentment - control - cooperation - courage -
covetousness
creativity - crisis - criticism - cruelty -  death - decisions - desire - determination - disappointment
discipline - discouragement - diversity - doubt - dreams - earth - education - ego - emotions
encouragement - enlightenment - enthusiasm - envy - eternity - ethics - example - exercise
experience - failure - faith - fame - family - fate - fathers - fault-finding - fear - feelings - finances
flowers - forgiveness - freedom - friendship - frustration - fun - the future - garden of life - gardening
generosity - gentleness - giving - goals - God - goodness - grace - gratitude - greatness - greed - grief
growing up - guilt - habit - happiness - hatred - healing - health - heart - helpfulness - home
honesty - hope - hospitality - humility - hurry - ideals - identity - idleness  - idolatry - ignorance
illusion - imagination - impatience - individuality - the inner child - inspiration - integrity - intimacy
introspection - intuition - jealousy - journey of life - joy - judgment - karma - kindness - knowledge
language - laughter - laziness - leadership - learning - letting go - life - listening - loneliness
love - lying - magic - marriage - materialism - meanness - meditation - mindfulness - miracles
mistakes - mistrust - moderation - money - mothers - motivation - music - mystery - nature
negative attitude - now - oneness - open-mindedness - opportunity - optimism - pain - parenting
passion - the past - patience - peace - perfectionism - perseverance - perspective - pessimism
play - poetry - positive thoughts - possessions - potential - poverty - power - praise - prayer
prejudice - pride - principle - problems - progress - prosperity - purpose - racism - reading -recreation
reflection - relationships - religion - reputation - resentment - respect - responsibility - rest
revenge - risk - role models - running - ruts - sadness - safety - seasons of life - self - self-love
self-pity - self-reliance - self-respect selfishness - serving others - shame - silence - simplicity
slowing down - smiles -solitude - sorrow - spirit - stories - strength - stress - stupidity - success
suffering - talent - the tapestry of life - teachers - thoughts - time - today - tolerance - traditions
trees - trust - truth - unfulfilled dreams - values - vanity - virtue - vulnerability - walking - war
wealth - weight issues - wisdom - women - wonder - work - worry - worship - youth - Zen sayings

spring
- summer - fall - winter
Christmas - Thanksgiving - New Year - America
Native American wisdom - The Law of Attraction
obstacles to living life fully - e-zine archives - quotations contents
our most recent e-zine - Great Thinkers - the people behind the words - articles & excerpts