I reconnected the other day with a young man that I have watched as a dancer since he was a little boy. I have marveled at his talent and strength. I have admired his growth and independence as an artist. His pictures and videos are nothing short of amazing. He dances and travels all over the world now and here he was working in a local restaurant with his family. He didn’t recognize me at first until I identified myself as a former dance mom acquaintance. Then, he smiled and immediately began to engage in conversation and even sat down in my booth.

That young man and I had an amazing, thoughtful, reflective, and meaningful conversation that really lasted. We talked about life, our experiences, our mottos, our goals, and our beliefs and reflections on the world in general. He was truly engaged and interactive. We talked without the use of cell phones or ipads, just words and direct eye contact. It was some real old school wonderful. I was so glad that this young person was interested in what I had to say and became so curious that he came back for even more discussion.

This is what I love about my life. I love that I can be so approachable that even people who have not seen me in a long time can feel comfortable enough to come up to me and have a meaningful interaction. I consider this a true blessing. I wish that more young people had enough conviction, courage, and social skills to do this on a regular basis. This is a quality about myself that I continue to nurture. I feel like I have so much potential to give and contribute. I want to be able to share real thoughts and feelings and actually learn and pass on what I’ve learned. I just want to pass it on, for those that want it, whenever they want it. We need to share what we know with the people that want to learn, regardless of age or situational differences. We can all benefit from these interactions. Let’s go for it everybody!

Dr. Katz