“Do you want to dance?”

Of course I did. I love to dance, but I don’t feel particularly proficient, and I certainly do not feel stylish or graceful on the dance floor. I also rarely dance with anyone except my husband of almost 30 years, who happens to be a much smoother dancer than I’ll ever be. None of those facts stop me from wishing I could somehow land a spot on “Dancing with the Stars,” however, because it seems to be so much fun…unless you consider performing in front of millions of people before standing to endure a live critique.

Seriously, now. This dance was not in front of millions of people. It was a fundraising dinner dance, in a church, to benefit the local campus Wesley Foundation. I would love to dance with the college guy before me, but I was afraid of looking foolish and awkward. These college students don’t just dance–they flip, whirl around and do all kinds of moves women over 50 sometimes do not feel comfortable doing. “Yes,” I answered. “But no flipping or swinging me around!”

My partner, Turok, is a former football player who leads the WT Maroon Platoon. I refer to him as one of my WT kids, and dancing with him is one step off from dancing with another son. Saturday night, he had been hoisting young ladies into the air all night, so he didn’t seem put off by the challenge at all. We danced, threw in a few moves that I was sure looked awkward and ridiculous, and then he said he was going to dip me and to just do what he said. Trying to appear more adventurous than I felt, I agreed and promptly began to misunderstand his instructions, which left me realizing that rather than executing a graceful dip, I was, in reality, about to fall down onto the floor. Just as the adrenaline rush hit, I felt two strong arms scoop me up, somehow salvaging this dip to create a feet-in-the-air dance move. I laughed as my feet landed safe and sound on the solid dance floor.

“I told you I had you,” my confident partner said. We laughed some more and another college student told me I did well as we left the dance floor. (I don’t think he was being sarcastic…)

The next day, a video clip from the dance posted on Facebook. For a few seconds of the video, I danced with my partner right into the background, and although the video didn’t capture the adrenaline burst caused by the about-to-meet-the-floor near miss, I did see myself dance across the floor and not appear nearly as awkward as I was sure I had looked.

I wonder how much we miss of life for fear of looking foolish. When I am asked to do something perfectly fine but decline because I am afraid of looking foolish, I miss out. I may miss out on fun and laughter, but I may also miss out on building relationships and seizing opportunities to learn, grow and serve.

So say “yes” and dance. Guess what? In that video, no one was watching us dance. The focus was on a sweet girl from Japan who was experiencing her first dance at the “Hoedown.” She DID flip head over heels, and judging by her laughter and the joy on her face, she loved it.

So … maybe next time …