At some point in our adult years, more and more of us find ourselves living alone and lacking a partner in the "dance of life." Such a situation may have come about by choice or as part of God's plan for us. In either case, most of us have enough talent and energy to do some very lively dancing, mentally if not physically.
Surely, if God has kept us here, it is because He recognizes that we have much of value to contribute to this old world--and much to learn from it. It's time that we recognized it too, and approached each new day and year as a precious gift from God.
Today an ever-growing number of people live to 100 or more in good mental and physical health, able to take care of themselves. Why, then, do so many of us look upon turning forty, fifty, sixty, and older with such trepidation? As I write this, I am forty the second time around and, by choice, have been on my own since fifty-one. For me, life is still a lively dance, with only occasional intervals when the music slows to a languorous beat.
We choose our own rhythms--to urge us on to our feet or to lull us into nonparticipation in the dance of life. Or perhaps we have chosen to turn off the music entirely because "fate" has left us without a partner. So then, when someone offers us an opportunity to break that pattern, possibly suggesting a voyage, a day trip, a class, a hobby--any activity that would make us venture beyond our familiar routine--fear of the unknown and untried makes us dwell on the worst possibilities. And we end up continuing in our old, tiresome rut.
Or we could be enthusiastic about what is to come, like the woman traveling alone on a cruise ship who heard Big Band music drifting through a closed door at the far end of the corridor. Thinking herself unobserved, she danced her way to the closed doors. There she came to an abrupt stop, resumed the dignity she deemed proper for a woman of her mature years, opened the door and went on her way, undoubtedly looking forward to a pleasant evening. I'm willing to venture that she had one!
Do we choose, like that woman, to take a chance on what might lie ahead and dance alone to a lively tune? A precious gift from God, life is a dance all the way from birth to that lovely, invisible existence beyond this earth. The joy and adventure of life come to those who hear the sound of God's inspiring rhythms and get up to dance, even though they may do it alone. And whether they can dance in the world beyond their home or in the world within its walls, the tempo they choose will open the door to delightful adventures and new and rewarding experiences.
That has been my own choice, and this book is a sharing of some of the adventures, and a few misadventures, that I have had in my years of dancing alone. Some came as needed lessons, but more came as pure and lasting joy. All of them have enriched my life, and I hope that they will spur you on to enriching adventures of your own--whether around the corner, far away, or in the one place where all things are possible--your imagination.
Let's open our minds to hear the music of life. And let's keep on dancing...until the heavenly chorus pipes us home!
BACK
About the author
Octogenarian Edith McCall is living proof of her philosophy that every day is a gift from God, and we can enjoy and make the most of it all by ourselves. In 1955, after a distinguished career as an educator, she moved to the Ozarks to pursue her lifetime dream of writing full-time. The award-winning author of fifty books, and coauthor of thirty, she was a trailblazer in writing interesting textbooks and entertaining novels in controlled vocabulary for readers with learning disabilities.
McCall's broad interests are reflected in her popular local lectures and her many articles for adults, which have been published in anthologies and a wide range of newspapers and national magazines, including American Heritage, The Instructor, American History, and the Kansas City Times. A four-time winner of the Missouri Writers' Guild Book Award, McCall was also named a Distinguished Alumnus by the University of Wisconsin in 1988 in recognition of her contributions to education and her body of work. In 1996 she was inducted into the Writers Hall of Fame.
McCall has two daughters, five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. When she isn't traveling, she can be found at home in Hollister, Missouri, working at her computer on her next writing project, or relaxing with her gardening, woodcarving, birdwatching ... or a good book.
BACK