I was running late to catch a plane from Detroit to my home in California and when I'm in a hurry I get tunnel vision and in this case my tunnel vision was to the departures terminal.
When I get tunnel vision I tend to overlook, miss or otherwise not notice what's going on around me. While hurrying across the bridge from then rental car shuttle drop to the departure area something out of the ordinary caught my attention. It was two people dancing.
I stopped and moved closer to the window and right there on the freezing curb there were three people standing next to a taxi. Two dancing and one watching. It wasn’t break, disco, or ballroom. Just your standard run of the mill dancing. To my knowledge there wasn’t any music, they were making their own.
After a closer look I realized it was a father dancing with what was apparently his high school or early college age daughter with mom standing a few feet away with a gentle and joyful smile.
My first thought was, “What the heck are they doing?”
Why dance on the side walk next to a taxi at the Detroit airport? It’s freezing outside, it’s loud and do you know that other people can see you? Don’t you feel awkward to be dancing right out their in the open where others can see you?
So right there in the tunnel connecting the terminal to the shuttles I made up a story about why they were dancing. They were celebrating good news. They were celebrating a victory. They were making a memory. They were having fun. They were living joy.
I guess what I’m saying is any reason will do for a father to dance with his daughter while waiting for a taxi at the Detroit airport.
Ecclesiastes 4b says there is, “a time to dance.”
Sometimes, as dads, we can get tunnel vision at home and overlook joy. Things like dancing with our daughters for no reason don’t even take second place, they often don’t make the list. I’m not pointing fingers since I am included in “dads” in this paragraph.
Although I’m sitting in a Starbucks recalling this story I have written down on my calendar “dance with my daughter today.” I don’t want to miss those important bonding times that will slip away with each tick of the clock.
How about you?
Will you dance with your daughter today?
Photo Credit: shutterstock.com Image ID: 96190850 © Kzenon