To dance at Hiland...
… and if you don’t want to take my word for it, then take it from the greatest book on earth: "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance." Ecclesiastes 3:4
With the Hiland Homecoming ceremony and dance coming up this Saturday, dancing seems to be the only thing on my mind. The fun dresses and high heels, the ties and stylish pants smoothed down on young legs that are used to jeans and shorts. What could be better on a Saturday night than going to a school dance?
My memory, which like a thread weaves its way back through time, settles on memories that stir when my kids have major events in their lives. Homecoming, for them, is something I look forward to. It’s something they look forward to. Way back when, there were no Homecoming dances at Hiland.
Yes. Hiland High School had never seen dancing in its hallowed halls.
Homecoming consisted of a short ceremony held in between a Varsity and JV basketball game. Streamers were put up, candidates and escorts were voted on in school, much like it is today, and after the queen was announced, she and her court sat in the stands in a little portion of the cheering section. I remember this ceremony like it was yesterday.
That was it. Finito. Ceremony over.
We longed for a dance. We would hear of all the other schools preparing for their Homecoming dances, and I imagined all the fun they would be having. Then the movie Footloose came out. I was a freshman in high school and I finally believed that we would succeed in convincing the higher ups that a Homecoming/Prom should include dancing at the school.
If Ren, aka Kevin Bacon, could convince a town to allow their kids to dance, then why couldn’t we?
It didn’t work, and I never attended a Homecoming dance in my life. My junior and senior proms were held respectively, in Wooster and New Philadelphia at a hotel. And did we dance – though not at our school. Never at our school.
Time moved on, and somewhere between 1987 and now, Hiland saw its first dance. My life was busy raising kids, so this fact seemed to have slipped by me somewhere. By the time my eldest got to Hiland, having a Homecoming dance was firmly entrenched in the average school year. My heart skipped a beat.
I think every kid should have that experience. Shopping for a swingy dress, or buying that button down shirt that goes just right with khaki’s, and stepping out onto that dance floor. And for a moment, just a moment, forgetting about the world and swaying to the music with your friends out on that dance floor.
I don’t think the kids today appreciate what they have in their Homecoming dance.
They take it for granted, and some even say naw, why do I need to go to the dance? I hear lots of things from different directions about kids that are choosing not to go. They’d rather sit at home and watch a movie. Why go to a dance at the school?
Here’s why. And if the kids only listen to me this one time, and read this blog for the first time, I’ll them why…
Because life moves so fast. One day you’ll wake up 30 years down the road and think about all the things you chose not to do. You’ll think about the time you chose to stay in because you thought going to the dance was stupid. You need to grab life. There’s a quote that says, “Enjoy life now. This is not a rehearsal.”
A dance may seem like a waste of time now. But just go. Buy that tie and sweater and put on your best cologne. Slip that sparkly dress over your head and apply glittery makeup. Slide into those high heels. Head down to the school and take the floor with your classmates. Before long, you won’t have the chance and life will bombard you. Lose yourself, for just this time, before you grow up and it’s too late.
And remember, there are lots of us that came before you that longed for what you have now. Enjoy it. Cherish it. And know that in my heart, I’ll be there dancing right along with you.