I painted this for my wife’s 40th birthday. It’s one of her favorite quotes, and it perfectly captures the spirit that fills our kitchen.

As kids, we danced all the time. We danced when we were excited. We danced when we were happy. We even danced when we were bored. Why did we ever stop?

Maybe we started worrying about looking foolish.

Maybe we’ve discovered that the world isn’t as carefree as thought it was.

Maybe we are afraid of pulling something.

The kitchen often serves as the primary gathering place in a home. From time to time, our kitchen hosts spontaneous dance parties. If a favorite song comes on, we crank the volume, and our family of five casts our cares to the wind and shakes our booties to the music. Mind you, these dance parties are mostly devoid of any talent (although my son Ben has some sweet moves), but they are always bursting with joy and enthusiasm.

You see, kitchen dancing doesn’t require sweet moves.

It does require you to move, however. Even a little booty shake can make your body feel better.

It also requires the willingness to be vulnerable by looking a little silly, which is one of the most intimate ways to bond with another person.

And it requires the ability to take oneself lightly, which helps lighten the heavy loads that weigh us down.

That’s why, in our kitchen, we dance.

Do you in yours?