What It's All About

You put your right foot in.
You put your right foot out.
You put your right foot in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the hokey pokey,
And you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!

You may not have realized it at the time, but the roller rink* DJ of your childhood was laying down some serious wisdom in between the couples' skate and the shoot-the-duck contest. You see, more than just a children's song, the Hokey Pokey truly is what it is all about.

Let's take a closer look at the seemingly nonsensical lyrics, for, as the true Seeker of the YUM knows, great truth will often sound like gibberish to the unenlightened.

You put your right foot (left foot, right arm, left arm, etc., progressing to whole self) in.

You have gifts, talents, strengths – an entire self to contribute to this grand experiment we call “living” - and you are called on by your fellows to contribute.

You put your right foot (etc.) out.

Sometimes it is necessary to retreat from the world, in order to identify how you can best contribute. It is not enough to act for action's sake. We must also act mindfully and with purpose.   

You put your right foot (etc.) in...

Once you have identified your goals/purpose, you must return to the world and to action in order to see them through.

...And you shake it all about.

It is not enough to simply give of yourself, but you must use your talents and skills to the utmost.

You do the Hokey Pokey and your turn yourself around.

The more your give of yourself, the more change you will see in the world, and more importantly, in yourself.

And that's what it's all about.
That, or it's a thinly-veiled reference to sex. Either way...


Today's exercise: Do the Hokey Pokey!

Next: Life lessons gleaned from ABBA at the roller rink. (#1: Don't listen to ABBA... or at least not sober... Skål, y'all! )


*If you were born after 1985, you may need ask your parents what roller rinks were. Maybe there's a video on YouTube...