Seize the Day!

I stumbled upon this story on a website when I was using Stumbleupon.com this morning.  (If you've never used it, stop reading now and go to Stumbleupon.com! You give it your interests and then it surfs the web for you to find websites that you might like. Its awesome!)  Anyway, I stumbled upon this website, and it was exactly what I needed.  I love this story.  It's simple but its lesson is valuable.  Our minds are so powerful, we have the power to change any situation and to DO ANYTHING.  All we have to do is remain present and in the moment. 

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.

His bed was next to the room’s only window

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation..

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.

Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats.. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.

Although the other man could not hear the band – he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.

She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.

He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.

It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, ‘Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.’

When God Closes A Door...

My friend and boss, Genevieve, said something to me the other day that is so appropriate for my life right now, and it is a beautiful reminder to keep a positive attitude in the face of change or uncertainty.  She said that her mother always tells her "When God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window." 

Looking back on the past week I have had, this quote proves to be true in my life.  When I graduated from the University of Tennessee almost SIX MONTHS ago (cant believe it has been that long), I was about to make the biggest change in my life, and I had NO IDEA what was in store for me in the months to come.  I got on a plane to SA wondering what my life would be like when I stepped off of the plane.  I have made amazing friends and have met so many people who I know I will miss when I leave SA, but most of all, I have already had the most amazing experiences here.  Who knew, after three years of not dancing, that I would be working in a dance studio and going to dance auditions here in South Africa? 

Genevieve, my friend and boss, and also my dance teacher, told me about an audition last Saturday in Jo'burg for a series of Corporate sponsored shows.  I wanted to go audition not because I thought I would get a job, which I didn't, but because I wanted to have that experience.  It was amazing!!!  The choreographer for the shows was the choreographer for African Footprint, the South African musical that toured the globe.  So, not only did I get to go dance with professional dancers, but I also got to work (a little bit) with a well-established choreographer!  Not to mention the fact that I got a taste of what it's like to be a professional dancer, in South Africa, anyway.

I was obviously an amateur at the audition, and I didn't make it past the first cut, but I was in good company.  All of the dancers there were top notch.  It was cool to just be there.  So, this just shows that whenever God closes a door, somewhere, a window is opened.  So, take a leap of faith, take a risk, go on an adventure! Who knows where it will take you! 

Here are some pics from African Footprint.  It looks like such a cool show!