How To Learn To Enjoy the Dance and Love Your Mistakes

What a teenage girl taught me about enjoying life.

Scott Ninneman
Speaking Bipolar

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Illustration of a teenage girl dancing in a kitchen
Macey loved to dance. | Image made by the author with Canva AI.

“You’re doing it wrong,” her mother exhaled with a frown, disapproval and frustration screaming in her tone.

“But I’m doing it,” Macey smiled while winking at me. Unphased by the comment, she continued her impromptu dance routine in their bright kitchen.

“Not the right way,” her mother scolded her.

Macey was unflappable. “It doesn’t have to be perfect as long as I’m having fun.”

It was the summer before Macey turned 16, and for the first time, she was learning to exert her independence. Never rebellious, Macey treated her parents with respect, but she was starting to understand how unique she was.

Even better, she was learning to celebrate herself.

“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.”

John Wooden

Not a dancer

I’m not a dancer. While I loved to polka and waltz at weddings in my teenage years, I was never good at it. Try as I may, my body refuses to move in rhythm with the music.

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Scott Ninneman
Speaking Bipolar

Editor of Speaking Bipolar on Medium and author of SpeakingBipolar.com. You can thrive with mental illness. Links: https://speakingbipolar.com/socialmedia