Nervous?
I was less nervous getting married
I was less nervous speaking in front of a crowd of 5,000 people
I was less nervous going into military training

This was serious business.
This was a High School Homecoming Dance

The girl?
She was breathtaking
Emotionally, mentally, physically
And from everything I’d read and observed
I was going to need my breath
In order to dance

Something I’d never done
Even alone

The thing about ignorance:
It’s paralyzing
How to get started at a dance
How to dance fast
How to dance slow
How not to look like an unusually dorky jellyfish

So, I did what I’ve always done
I told her

We had just arrived
After dinner
Sitting at a table with friends
And I said to her
“I’ve never danced in my life
I’m not sure what to do.”

She told me
Watch what other people do
Do that
No one really cares
Just move

So after more nervous moments
We got up and headed to the dance floor

Why
In every society
At the most self-conscious point in a person’s life
You are introduced to the most embarrassing activities
Is another example
Of God’s sense of humor

But I found myself doing it
And gradually
I found myself enjoying it
I really enjoyed watching her
Enjoying herself

And
When we got to a slow dance
I realized
I might just actually love this dancing thing

There on the dance floor
Surrounded by classmates whose opinions terrified me earlier that evening
I forgot everything

Except her

And me