Most of the time, I’m surrounded by people who know how to dance like nobody’s watching. Now you may think that means that they don’t care what people think. Just the opposite, they do. They are happy people, not hindered by moodiness, and they don’t mind sharing their happiness. They can even tell you, if you ask them, the reason for their happiness. Even if it means that they share a previous part of their life that had nothing to do with happiness. I just love to be around them because they are infectious with positive vibes, as they dance through life.
The wonder of it all is that more often than not I discover that many of these folks are people who have undergone lots of heartache in their life. Yet it seems that their distress built them into resilient, delightful, caring people.
I’ve found that these sunny folks have four things in common:
Social life. They enjoy the company of other people.
Not self-depreciating. They know they have worth.
They don’t live unto themselves like deserted islands; they find ways to do for others.
Like to make changes. They are not satisfied with the status quo either in their lives or in the community. Not that they live in a state of dissatisfaction or discontent, they simply want to do better and see the community do better. They work at making positive changes all around them.
The thought that I wrote as I started this commentary isn’t an expression I invented. It comes from a longer anonymous quote that goes like this, “Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching.”
During 2006 I met two people who fit this bill enough to have jointly written it. And since they both are writers they could have. Ironically, though I’m more inclined to think its Providential, God knows I need certain people in my life and He knows that I need to be part of their lives as well. These folks have added to mine. Both have backgrounds full of sorrow yet they run through life with such confidence that they infect others with their enthusiasm.
Since it’s usually ladies before gentlemen I‘ll tell you the lady is named Margaret Duran. Perhaps you’ve never heard of her. I met her as a result of writing a book review about her book Life in Satan’s Grip. When I wrote the review I never expected to meet her. But we did meet, and I found her to be just as I imagined her to be—and in her I’ve found a true sister-of-kind. In fact, we call each other Sis. She’s out there in the community nearly every day mentoring other women. She fits all the above criteria.
The other person is a man. His name is known quite well around town, in fact all around Pasco County and most probably beyond. His name is Bob Loring. Sound familiar? He’s with the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots. He works as a director of that organization all year long to see that program succeed, to see that no child is void of Christmas joy. He’s a man of dreams who wants to see children’s dreams come true. In addition to his huge holiday efforts he goes a big step further by teaching classes at Pasco-Hernando Community College, teaching students to care about and make changes in their communities. His big dream is to see a Center for Community studies established in east Pasco. Don’t sell him short. All good things begin with dreams that hula in the head of some visionary. He, too, fits the above criteria. And he’s definitely a kindred spirit. Because he studied in one of my writing classes he calls me Boss and I call him Grasshopper (remember the King Fu TV series?)
Without a doubt after getting to know both Margaret and Bob, I’m convinced that they fit that anonymous quote above quite well. Lest you think that I’m just a sentimental woman, my husband feels exactly the same about these new people in our lives. And I join them as we dance together as if nobody is watching.

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