One for the renegades …

A // W // F

I still remember where I was the first time I heard the radio hit Renegades by X Ambassadors:  on the dusty second story of a Staunton antinque mall, where the tune crackled and snarled through an AM/FM radio with a bad connection.

No more than 30 seconds elapsed before I Shazamed it…

I was smitten.

*

I remember the day I first stumbled over the video, too.

For the first 45 seconds, I was confused — what, exactly, was I watching here? — but when I realized what was happening, I wanted to stand up and cheer.

The video features short clips of individuals who most of us would term “disabled” … but all of them are doing remarkable things with their bodies — enjoying them in startlingly inventive ways. The video is a highly personal one for the band, since band member Casey Harris has been blind since childhood.

But really, this is not just a music video about overcoming physical limitations.  At its core, it’s about seeing all limitations as invitations to create and to innovate… To be unapologetically ourselves.

And I love that.

 *

Can I tell you something?  I’m in a place in my life where I really want to live in my body… To inhabit it fully. To do things with it that make me feel alive.

arabesque

And it’s true I’ll never be an Olympic athlete … or a ballerina.  But if I don’t dance in my living room at least once a week, or raise myself into a sloppy arabesque on a fencepost by the side of the road, then I’m accepting a tragic sort of lie… Swallowing it like bad medicine.

You know that old lie:  the one that says, If I can’t be the best, or do it the way other people do it, then I might as well hang up my dancing shoes.

And oh, friends.

That’s not just nonsense…

It’s poison.

*

So.  This little video is dedicated to all of us, in whatever bodies we’re living in, in the hope that we’ll go out and enjoy them wildly and unashamedly today.  That we’ll test all their edges, push all their boundaries and fill up all the little empty spaces within our fragile suits of skin.

Enjoy, fellow renegades … this one goes out to you.

 

❤

26 Comments

    1. You’re so welcome, Allie! I don’t often share music or other “lifestyle” items here, but it just felt right today, and in keeping with what I’m trying to do in this space.

      So glad it connected with you… We all have so much beauty and uniqueness to offer the world, and I hope you feel yours tonight! ❤

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  5. What you say really speaks to me: ” I’m in a place in my life where I really want to live in my body… To inhabit it fully. To do things with it that make me feel alive.” I reminds me of a something from Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life by james Hollis. I don’t know the exact quote, but the concept is inhabiting life with a radical, courageous simplicity. For some reason these words have always struck me as charged with meaning, and your post reminded me of them. I am really enjoying your blog!

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  7. Amazing “Alfa Zulu”.
    I am dumbfounded at this ode, scratch ode, this hymn to courage.
    Thank you for sharing with us. I am in admiration.
    Going bak to the “dance floor” (And I say dahnce, not daince, my dear) the floor is yours. :=)
    Again merci for this lesson of courage.
    “Même pas peur”

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      1. Thank you for sharing this video. I am… impressed. I’ve jumped off planes (with a chute) climbed a few (nasty) mountains, but, but… with my eyes and limbs ok. Those people are amazing.
        And as for you: dance your heart out.

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  9. Thanks for introducing me to a new song and a new perspective. Really, it’s probably the original perspective – to live in our bodies as they were created, to fully and thoroughly relish all of their wonders and even find joy in their limitations – but it gets buried under societal and cultural expectations, fear, and shame. I am visiting my parents for Thanksgiving and decided to be brave by dropping into a new yoga studio on Monday morning. It was actually in an industrial park, but I am glad that I wasn’t scared away because the inside of the studio was its own world, peaceful, beautiful, and serene. Even though the class was described on the studio’s website as appropriate for any level, it was hardly a beginner class, yet I was amazed at all the different people there spanning a huge range of ages and abilities. The place was packed, and afterward, while people were putting on shoes and socks, everyone spoke of how invigorated they felt and how grateful they were for the practice, even the people that I noticed were struggling to keep up or who seemed more challenged during the class. It reminded me that it isn’t about looking graceful for others to see or about being perfect, it’s about finding your place in the practice and making it your own. I love your picture and hope to see more dancing on roadside fence posts! Maybe I will try it, too ❤️

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    1. Oh, Lulu, I love all of this … So much truth and beauty here. Sounds like you found a little joy in that studio … Hope you keep pursuing those things that make you feel happy and balanced and alive. 🙂

      Enjoy the holiday!!

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