What are you next to in life? Beyond the people who live next-door, who are your neighbors ideologically, culturally, or socially? Have you ever considered that to which you are adjacent?

They say if you want to know who a person is, take a look at the five or six people they spend the most time with and you’ll find an average.

In normal times, if indeed there can ever be such a thing, we can exercise a great deal of personal choice and free will in designing this handful of associates.

But these being anything but normal times, unless you’ve been living under a rock or on a desert island for the last couple years, you know that many adjustments have been made.

Our topsy-turvy world has us waving at people we would like to hug through the screen, and rubbing shoulders with people who we would rather not out in public.

For those of us who are craving a return to the same old song and dance, it’s time to go with the flow, step up, and learn some new steps.

The fact is, you’re adjacent to all sorts of different folks. Some with different opinions, some with backgrounds you can’t imagine, some with ‘facts’ so different than yours that you wonder if you even inhabit the same planet.

So what’s a conscious dancer to do? Well, it’s sort of like exercising metaphysical feng shui. Find ways connect with the ones that you resonate with, and seek common ground with those you don’t. In today’s often-charged atmosphere, knowing how to keep your cool and deescalate on occasion is key.

Think like a duck. Stay afloat, keep on quietly moving towards your goals under the surface, and let the rain bounce off your back. If something bursts your bubble and blows your cool, just get up, shake yourself off, flap your wings a few times, and move along.

We’ve all got to take care of ourselves and do the best we can for each other. So hang in there, keep it light, have faith in your humanity, and spread love around wherever you can.

All the best till next Monday!

M+

Mark Metz
Director of the Dance First Association
Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine