Can't Dance Can


Originally published 2017

Well can you or can't you ? Do you have it in you or don't you ? Well you don't know unless you try do you ? Are you worried that people will laugh at you if you get it wrong ?

I came across the group Can't Dance Can this week. They use the space that is St Chad's church hall. I was immediately taken with the idea and the title. You may think you can't dance, but you can ! There are no doubt other applications. What about Can't Sing, Can or Can't Cook, Can ?

For a variety of reasons we get it into our heads that something can't be done. We tried it and did not succeed as we thought we might. Someone told us we could not manage it. Or maybe all the reasons not to came from deep within us.

If you look at their website you see the smiling faces of those who have discovered the joy of achieving something they never thought they could do. Dancing. There are pictures of older people dancing with umbrellas as well as children and people with disabilities moving around with joy in their eyes.

Some of the Seven Sisters by the Rochdale Exchange
We all know the story of the Good Samaritan. What was going on in the mind of the priest and the Levite that stopped them doing an act of kindness and humanity. They weren't bad people. They were physically capable of helping the man out.

I think that the priest and the Levite had lost touch with their human side.They told themselves: Can't help, Can't. Can't Stop, Won't.

We make who we are. We tell ourselves what we are like and what we do and what we don't do. We have constructed our idea of our selves and we have quite a lot invested in it. When are frightened of bringing down the whole house of cards. It's too hard to change.

But sometimes something happens which makes us think again. There comes our way an opportunity to do and be differently, more in line with the ways of God

The priest and the Levite missed the opportunity and the foreigner from Samaria grasped it. 

Can't care, Can ! Will stop by the side of the road, will !