It’s never too late in life to have a genuine adventure. –Henry David Thoreau

Happy Hour at the Sunrise Senior Living Community is a wild affair.  A smidge of alcohol.  A heaping serving of live music.  And episodic outbreaks of improvised dancing.  Oh, and did I mention that the raucous festivities kick off at 3:30pm every Friday?  Why wait until 5pm to get your groove on?

It is a great tradition to go down and visit with my parents on those Friday afternoons. And the vibrant scene is often punctuated by a string of characters who step up to add some pizzazz to the celebration.  The daughter of one of the residents loved to get the party going and encouraged everyone to clap and dance.  And another resident earned her reputation as the “Dancing Queen”, as she was immaculately dressed and shimmied and shook to her favorite songs. (Much to the delight of the Sunrise faithful!)

But alas, nothing gold can stay.  The ring-leader daughter doesn’t come around as often as her mom sadly passed away earlier in the year.  And the Dancing Queen was recently stricken with an affliction that impacted her legs, and her dancing days seemed over forever.  A pall fell across the succeeding happy hours as there was a tacit acceptance that life in the community was hurtling toward irreversible decline.

Which made last Friday’s Happy Hour especially glorious! The Motown music was lively and upbeat.  A larger-than-normal crowd packed into the common room.  And, perhaps, most exciting of all, The Dancing Queen was back!  There was some debate if she was going to be able to physically get up and do her thing.  But all doubt was removed when the performer played a great cover of “My Girl” by The Temptations. The Dancing Queen feebly rose from her chair.  But as the second verse kicked in, it was like a scene from “Cocoon”.  She turned back the hands of time, danced, twisted, and got down, just like old times!

It was a great moment for all those in attendance.  But it also sent a not-so-subtle message to the rest of us.  Not everything is spiraling downward toward degeneration.  Sure, things can get worse.  But they can also get better.  And all of us are capable of a comeback!

We Have to Believe 

In our work lives, we can hit a rough patch.  Our sales can dip.  Our favorite co-workers can move on.  Our whole approach can feel stale and outdated.  When in the midst of this malaise, it seems as if things are going to continue to slide down toward rock bottom.  But this is the time when we have to shift our perspective and rethink our approach.  What new areas can we focus on?  How can we attack our territory in a different way?  Who else can we recruit into battle?  Not everything is within our control.  There will be bad breaks and unfortunate losses.  But we can control our attitude.  We can control our approach.  And we can control the company we choose to keep.  Sometimes, just believing that things can get better is enough to right the ship.

And the same is true in our personal lives.  We have the ability to heal fractured relationships.  We have the ability to wipe away financial turmoil.  We have the ability to make healthier choices and better decisions.  Not everything moves in a straight line toward improvement.  But not everything cascades towards crisis either.  Sometimes, we will have to lean heavily on others.  Sometimes, we will be too mired in self-pity and defeat to see a brighter way.  But the path is there.  It will take hard work and a resilient attitude, but we are never too far from the possibility of positive change.

Keep on Dancing

Life ebbs and flows. Just because we are down today, does not mean we will be down tomorrow.  But if we let ourselves believe we are destined for continual failure, then that is the dark path we will continue to walk.  But if we actively search for signs of hope, if we actively search for examples of inspiration, we can change the direction of our lives.  It’s not a quick fix.  It’s not a magic bullet.  We still have to grind and work on our attitude and perspective.   But searching for signs of validation and hope can positively impact the trajectory of our lives.

The Dancing Queen won’t be tripping the light fantastic forever.  In the end, age is undefeated.  But right now she is staving off Father Time.  Her triumphant return reversed the narrative. And she has provided inspiration for all of us that, even for one more day, we are all capable of greatness.

It is never too late to get back on the right track.  It is never too late to have an adventure.  Keep battling.  Stay positive.  Stay resilient.  And, for as long as you can, keep on dancing!