Dance Then Where Ever You May Be

          When I was little, I wanted to be a teacher, a dancer or a singer.  I will go ahead and admit that I’m glad teacher won out and that I can still enjoy dancing and singing just about all of the time, without depending on either profession to make a living.  Although I never really took any dance classes, I absolutely love to dance, and find myself doing so frequently, mostly when no one else is watching.  When I was researching the Peak District, trying to decide exactly what I wanted to see, I came across the Nine Ladies Stone Circle.  This stone circle, much smaller than Stonehenge, but a similar idea, was built around 4,000 years ago.  Legend has it that the circle was formed when nine ladies were dancing on the Sabbath, and they were turned to stone.

            I have never been labeled as a rebel, in fact, that is probably a word about as far from my character as one could get.  However, the thought of women turning to stone when dancing intrigued me and I had to join them!  Growing up, one of my very favorite hymns was “Lord of the Dance,” and so I was pretty certain that God would not smite me and turn me into stone should I dance on a Sunday, but I must admit, I was thrilled to be able to walk away.

            I did not know exactly what to expect, but I was thrilled at what I found.  The walk to the stone circle was filled with great views of old quarries and purple flowers (heather, I think?).  What I loved was spotting the few, rare, yellow flowers in the mix.  I thought immediately of one of my favorite quotes, a quote from Camelot.  King Arthur (Richard Harris), in the gloom that surrounds him, speaks with a boy, telling him that we are all just drops of water on the great ocean of life, “but some of the drops do sparkle.”  Finding those bright yellow spots was like finding drops that sparkled, a rare and cherished thing.

            After a walk through the heather and through a small forest, I came upon the stone circle.  The stones were not very tall, but after all, we know people four thousand years ago were not all that large….  There was a tree close by full of decorations, everything from flashlights to bouquets to God’s eyes to wooden tags with inspirational messages written on them.  This tree was almost as intriguing as the stone circle itself.  I am quite certain that many of the items on the tree were added by children, but why?  Was there a festival?  Is the legend honored by those who pass?  Do people look up to these stone women as I do?

            After examining the tree, I moved on to dance among the ladies.  I did look around to make sure no one was coming, and thankfully, the forest was nearly deserted today, so I could dance as much as I pleased! 

            I walked away, not having turned to stone, but feeling empowered, uplifted and joyful, none the less, and for that, I thank these ladies, these “pillars” standing up for something they believed in – dancing!