"Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the dance?"

You might have recognised it as the refrain from Lewis Carroll’s Lobster Quadrille – a beautiful gentle poem, and an invitation to join the dance.

I love the idea of offering an invitation to join a different world – whether it be through coaching,  NLP, writing for self-expression or finding ways to tell a different version of your story.

It reminds me of the very famous "Invitation" written by Oriah Mountain Dreamer, a poem that went flying around the world when she first wrote it.  And you can understand why – it’s a piece of writing that once read you feel compelled to pass on.   You’ll see what I mean from this short extract…

… It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive…

And the invitation opens up another a new metaphor: of life as a dance. 

Dancing as the adventure of being alive.

Which brings us back to the question: will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the dance?

And have put the information away again, thinking: that can’t be for me…and yet the voice, inside, keeps nagging…there must be something, I have to do something…

My aim is to write about coaching and NLP and some of these other things in a way that sounds more playful…and gentle…or intriguing…like an exploration…or a conversation…or an invitation…

Because maybe you feel, just now, like the snail in the Lobster Quadrille…You know there’s a porpoise (or a purpose?) close behind…and he might even be treading on your tail…And you can see how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance…and you are told how delightful it will be…and yet it still seems too distant, too remote…

“But the snail replied ‘Too far, too far!’ and gave a look askance –
Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance”

And I would love to find words that are more intriguing, beguiling, inviting…to encourage you to dance.  I cannot think of a more beautiful, gentle invitation than the final verse of the Quadrille:

“’What matters it how far we go?’ his scaly friend replied.
‘There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.
The further off from England, the nearer is to France –
Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the dance?’”

Read and enjoy.

“Will you walk a little faster?” said a whiting to a snail,
“There’s a porpoise close behind us, and he’s treading on my
tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle—will you come and join the
dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the
dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the
dance?

“You can really have no notion how delightful it will be
When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out
to sea!”
But the snail replied, “Too far, too far!” and gave a look
askance—

Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join
the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join
the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join
the dance.

“What matters it how far we go?” his scaly friend replied.
“There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.
The further off from England the nearer is to France—
Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the
dance.
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the
dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the
dance?”