The Dance

I was driving home yesterday, listening to the country music station for old people when The Dance by Garth Brooks came on (I can't find an actual copy of him singing it, so you'll have to settle for this semi-ok cover with creepy pictures of Garth Brooks in the background).

Just to make it clear, that is one song I am never allowed to listen to.

Like ever.

(Also not allowed to listen to If Tomorrow Never Comes)

I get all emotional and I make a huge mess of myself and I'm sitting at the stop light with tears running down my cheeks and I'm sobbing like my dog has died.

The first time I heard that song, I was in high school.

Yes, they played country music at our high school dances, what's it to ya?

It had a whole different meaning then.

Because all I wanted was for Jesse Bush to ask me to dance all while pretending that I didn't care if anyone ever asked me to dance because I was just sure that I was missing out on something wonderful and how would I ever know unless he asked me to dance?  HOW?!

But as life has progressed and new experiences have come my way, the meaning has changed completely (thank heaven for that, too).

Every time I listen to the song, I am grateful all over again that we don't know the end.

The end of anything.

I mean, let's be honest, I don't really do pain very well.

Ok, fine, I don't really do pain at all.

Emotional or physical.

And there have been things in my life that, had I known how painfully they would end, I would have avoided them all together.

And in the process, I would have missed all of the wonderful things that happened during those experiences as well.

And as time goes on, you really only remember the wonderful things and forget the pain.

(Hence the reason why people have more than one child.)

That Garth Brooks, man.

He's deep.