Dancing From Rattlesnakes

I can dance! I can dance! Yuppers, I found out Friday night that I can move with a swift elegance that would make Gene Kelly green with envy if corpses could do such a thing. I know I've mentioned many times my lack of skill in the dancing arena. No rhythm, no grace, and no ability to stay in the moment have always hindered me. My high school drama teacher was determined though as he always made sure if there was a dancing part in a play, ol' Frustrated was going to be apart of it. I think they call that "comic relief" in the acting circles. Failure after failure have followed me until I finally declared myself "dance challenged" and slapped a little numbered blue tag on my chest that allowed me to park in the handicapped zones at dance halls.

Suddenly, in one swift moment of time, I received the dancing lesson of a life time that has finally brought everything my drama teacher was trying to teach me into clarity. No, I wasn't at a dance studio, or even following some DVD on how to learn to dance in eight easy lessons, but instead, I was on a Board Retreat.

I'd been out of town since Friday doing the ol' Board Retreat gig and everything was going well. The evening session had been sucessful with a lot of ground being covered, a new vision obtained, and the recommitment of the board to redefine its role. Everyone was pumped!

After our supper was finished, flip charts put away, and everyone was in the chillin' mode, one of the board members announced he was going to go on a walk. I asked if he would mind company and he said "no" and soon all of the participants, save one, were putting on sneakers and heading out the door. Our retreat took place at the Mo' Ranch, deep in the Texas Hill Country which provides a gorgeous view and a marvelous late night walking venue. Up and down hills we went, crossing the suspended bridge, and working our way down towards the river. Most of the paths were lit, but as you got closer to the water, the light faded and there you were, walking by moonlight.

My newest board member and myself were ahead of the rest and in a deep conversation about scouting, camping, and other assorted fun things to do when we heard the music. Ah, the music of an insistant angry buzz, providing an ispiration for dance. We both responded accordingly, feet moving deftly in a soft shoe that had us dancing away from the noise. We called up to another board member who had a flashlight and asked him to shine it towards our little music maker and sure enough, there was our little friend, all coiled up, buzzing ninety to nothing, totally upset we had crashed his party. Those who had cellphones with them took pictures of the little guy and those of us who didn't, kept dancing away at a respectible distance.

Soon we headed back, deciding to continue to walk towards the river might not be a great idea after all with only one flashlight in tow. It occurs to me later we must have stepped right over the snake. I have no idea why it didn't strike but I do know it wasn't a smart snake because when we returned in the morning, Mr. Rattlesnake was sufficiently squashed into the pavement.

I would have to say this was one of the more invigorating walks I can remember. Admittedly I have no rhythm or grace in me but on this walk I felt like Fred Astaire dancing away from that snake. Maybe that is the key to good dancing... a well placed snake on the dancing floor to keep people gracious in their movement, quick in their response, and totally jazzed in the experience. If only Mr. Killingsworth had known about such a technique... I might have been a heck of a dancer.