When I was a little girl I dreamed of owning a dance studio.
I spent a lot of my childhood in a dance studio taking classes and I admired the owner, Fran Peters. She was strikingly beautiful with her dark spikey hair and heavy eyeliner. She was soft and caring when she wanted or needed to be with a young dancer who was crying because she was nervous about going on stage. She was detail-oriented in her instruction paying close attention to perfect pointed feet and fingers wide in jazz hands yet firm with her older students who whined about period cramps.
On more than one occasion I heard her say to her instructors and staff whether about dance choreography or showing up on time to do their work, “my expectations of you are high because my name is on that sign!” As a small kid, I didn’t understand the statement and couldn’t comprehend, at the time, what it meant or the weight of responsibility that having your name on a sign as the business owner truly would feel like. I may not have understood but it has stayed with me over the years. I think Fran set the bar high not just for her staff but for herself. And I see myself doing the same thing.
I had an opportunity at the end of college to fulfill my childhood dream. I was teaching at a dance studio outside of Pittsburgh and the owner approached me about being a partner and taking over the dance instruction at the studio. She wanted to step away from the hours at the studio and spend more time with her young kids. She would handle the business and I would run the studio. I thought long and hard about it but ultimately I turned it down because at that time I had dreams to live in New York City and be involved in theatre. Which I did.
We are all given these moments where it feels like a huge choice needs to be made, the path in front of you divides. You could go in either direction, you can’t quite see the outcome but you know that choosing the path will redirect your life. The seniors in high school are possibly going through it for the first time in choosing where they will go to college.
Maybe you are feeling the heaviness of making a choice with the covid mandates being lifted in your state. The path in front of you is divided and a choice must be made. Have faith that even once the choice is made, you can change your mind and you can pivot to go in a new direction or circle back to where you were. You can come back to that original dream and modify it slightly. I did.
Since 2009 I have owned and operated a yoga studio, Bee Yoga Fusion. I don’t teach dance anymore but I do teach yoga and fitness on a daily basis. But every day I feel as though I am dancing on my mat. And I think Fran Peters would be proud of the businesswoman I am and the high standards that I hold for myself and my staff too.
What choices are in front of you right now? Are either of them tied to your original dream or are they knew dreams that feel a bit intimidating? Allow yourself the space to create openness within your body; go for a walk, take a yoga class, do something that moves you so that you can release some of the tension you are holding on to. Move your body first and then come back to the decision that needs to be made with a clear mind. You can do this, even if it feels hard. You can do it!