The other night, after dinner, my wife and I danced hand-in-hand (and cheek-to-cheek) in the kitchen.
This is not an uncommon occurrence.
Still, in the midst of the stress of this pandemic, the moment carried added weight.
Added meaning.
Why?
Was it simply the pure joy that dancing provides after the stress of a long day?
Was it the relief we felt being close to one another at a time when we are all being told to limit the physical touch of daily human contact?
It was likely a combination of both of these.
But, on a deeper level, I think it was our unspoken recognition and genuine belief that our love is stronger than the problems we are facing. We feel incredibly grateful to have each other, particularly at this time of stress. And while we are both realists, we are also optimists.
The song we danced to was not Irving Berlin’s classic, “Cheek-to-Cheek”, but rather another Irving Berlin tune made famous by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers during The Great Depression. The lyrics?
“There may be trouble ahead,
But while there’s music and moonlight and love and romance,
Let’s face the music and dance…
… Soon we’ll be without the moon, humming a different tune.
And then –
There may be teardrops to shed,
So while there’s moonlight and music and love and romance,
Let’s face the music and dance.”
Like our dancing in the kitchen, those words carried extra meaning that night.
But – they also brought me great comfort.
Knowing that countless couples danced to that same song and those same words in the midst of The Great Depression and in the many years since, made me feel – once again – reassured that love really will keep us together.