"...And You Turn Yourself Around"

The other day I woke up with the Hokey Pokey in my head. Yeah, I can't explain me either.

The part that kept itself on repeat was the line, "...and you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about!" Despite my efforts to recall why I had this song in my head, it made me start thinking- something that's proven itself dangerous at times.

Many parts of my life have felt like they've been turned around lately. Some flipped upside down. Some pushed outside the box. Almost all of it a little uncomfortable - like the Hokey Pokey. (Really, if I'm going to shake it all about, I'd like to do that to the Wobble.)

Things I thought would never be shaken, crumbled. Next steps I thought I knew were right in front of me turned into new steps I didn't see coming. Other parts of my life that I thought were nailed in place needed moving. 

You're welcome for all the vague details, but ,frankly, I think the nitty gritty, messy details of life do not all have to be shared on the Internet. Those details are saved for the dinner table with mentors, an early coffee date with a friend, or the couch with a small group.

Have you ever thought about doing the Hokey Pokey alone? Can you imagine the stares, the faces, the judging looks when you put your right foot in and out? The simple fun of the Hokey Pokey as kids is that we're surrounded by other people being ridiculous at the same time. Everyone's doing something outside of their normal and everyone's just a little uncomfortable.

With every meal, coffee, or small group meeting over the past few weeks, I've learned quickly that a season that felt uncomfortably unsettled was a season that I didn't have walk through alone. Maybe friends weren't going through the same steps I was, but they at least knew the motions. They knew how to stand in the circle. To make the uncomfortable feel, well, uncomfortable. But they made it feel a little less lonely.

A few weeks ago, I had a particularly hard day. Those stable pieces of life felt really shaken and I found myself driving back from a trip wondering where in the world things were headed. One of my friends called to check in as I drove down I-65. She asked a simple question, "Are you up for a little company tonight?"

Sure, I thought. Distraction. People to vent with. Yes. Great.

A few hours later, I walked into my house to find 8 friends sitting in my living room. Nothing fancy- just some yoga pants, ice cream, and chips and dip. All of this because they knew that a circle isn't a circle when someone stands alone.

If turning myself around is what this season of life is about, I'll do it over and over as long as I don't have to do it alone.