We should relish the terrible dancers.
The people who sing out of tune,
those who write incorrectly,
our friends who confess embarrassing secrets.
They are creating something in this world.
Perfection is not creation.
Mistakes, trying, failing, embarrassing –
those are all part of us
adding something to this world.
And those who judge the terrible dancers
subtract from the world.
Let’s delight in adding something –
something physical, something sensual,
that brings people to tears.
Something that we can hold,
that we can stare at for hours,
that makes us think.
Additions bring us out of our minds
and into our senses.
They bring us into what is possible,
the delights, the wonder,
that we are afraid to grasp
for the fear of being rejected
or deemed unproductive.
Worthless.
Today, I choose to add beauty.
I’m a terrible dancer.
Because it’s not the dance that makes beauty,
it’s the act of making something ugly
just because it feels beautiful.
And that’s exactly what our world needs.
Ali Walks Around 