Thoughts about friendship and belonging

This weekend I was lucky enough to get together with several groups of friends.
These are the moments best spent, aren't they?
I was thinking that the majority of those friends I met came into my life through dancing.

Now..it is funny how sometimes our dance community seems to have this "If you don't show up to dancing you don't exist" policy, that can make us feel left out or like we don't belong to the group.
The truth is that our lives get hectic; our partners may be into other"sports"; our babies may get sick; we may be out of town; our knees may be hurting (as well as some other body parts) and we feel torn because we want to be in two places at the same time.

I guess it's something that happens in other entities as well. You are "friendly" with a large quantity of people and friends with only a few.
The close friends we make while on a dance floor are those who we discover having other interests in common as well; similar stories or feelings about a particular matter; intellectual connections; paths that crossed somewhere in history; struggles lived with similar passion and more.

I am grateful for being a part of this dancing world in any case, that certainly allows me the opportunity to meet people from all kinds of backgrounds as well as places.
If you are new to this Folk Dance community be patient, I'm sure you'll discover one day that together with accomplishing some new moves you have a new friend to share the excitement with :)

Hand in hand,
If only you'll give me your hand
Hand in hand,
We'll march down the entire road
Hand in hand,
If only you'll give me your hand
A hand, if only you'll give it to me
Hand in hand,
Down the whole length of the road
Hand in hand 

(from the dance "Yad Be Yad"-Hand in Hand)

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