miredinmiddleearth:

I have a story to share, and I hope it makes you smile.

Once upon a time, when I was about three years old, my parents took me on a vacation to England. I’ve been told it was great. We saw the sights, did the standard touristy things, and one of our stops included the Wedgwood Factory. Alas, a three-year-old and Wedgwood is a terrible combination, so my dad was nice enough to wait with me outside while my mom explored the factory. 

My mom had a grand time, seeing what there was to see, but there came a point when she started to notice people drifting over to the windows. As more people wandered over, curiosity set in. What was all the fuss about? She reached the window just in time to see her husband and her daughter take their places, one on each side of a giant empty parking lot.

Father and daughter dramatically swung their arms to the right and sang, “Shall!” 

We swung our arms to the left. “We!” 

We flung our arms wide. “Dance?” 

We ran to the middle and proceeded to perform a fully choreographed rendition of “Shall We Dance” from The King and I that we’d just made up, full of passion and flair that would have rivaled a Broadway production. Father twirled his 3-year-old daughter. Daughter jumped into her father’s arms and sang with all her heart. The entire parking lot was ours, and we used every inch of it.

I should clarify, my father is NOT a dancer. At all. He is a master of the jerky dad moves and can’t straighten his limbs to save his soul, but he has energy, and he performed the role of daughter’s Broadway dance partner without any shame. 

By the time my mom finished up and came outside, we’d gone through a whole repertoire, from King and I to Oklahoma to Sound of Music. Mom came outside just as we finished up one of our songs. When we looked her way, she pointed up to the Factory.

Every single window on every single floor was packed with people, workers and customers alike, and they were all applauding with giant smiles on their faces. I’m told my father turned bright red.

Hope this made you smile, too. Thanks for the dance, Dad.