On the way to work this morning* I heard The Romantics’ What I Like About You. It took me back to high school. After every home football game (high school games are played on Friday night) we would have a “sock hop.” The girls from GPS would come over, we would gather in the Hunter Theater Auditorium, someone would act as DJ and play some great music, and most of us would stand around and look at each other, until we finally shuffled off and wondered why the girls were so stuck up.

But when I heard that song on the radio, I could imagine myself dancing and jumping and loving it. If I could go back to those sock hops, I would have so much fun.

We teenage boys took the whole thing too seriously and placed too much importance on those dances. We didn’t see them for what they were – a time to relax and have fun — but instead thought we were supposed to impress the girls. And, of course, we had no idea how to do that, either.

It’s so easy to see foolishness in hindsight. But what about the foolishness we’re engaged in right now? What chances for joy are we missing today because we’re too worried about the way we’ll look or about what someone else is doing?

Forget about those things you can’t change and open your ears to the music of your every day life.

And don’t forget to dance.

*Yes, I drove the car this morning. Dawn is convinced that the pipes will burst during the unusually cold night that’s forecast. So I have to stop by the hardware store on my way home from work to get some protectors for our outside faucets.