The Healing Horse, Ch. 38: Trotting Her Way to Happiness, Scene 1: Joshua Needs Help

Pink flower blooming

Chapter 38 begins with an invitation from Joshua. You know it’s important. Pegasus said so in last week’s scene.

BTW, today is Flag Day. Sunday is Father’s Day. Monday is Juneteenth. Let’s all give thanks for everyone who has worked to make this world better.

[Image by Mostafameraji, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.028, via Wikimedia Commons]

Scene 1: Joshua Needs Help

Karen stepped out of the dance studio into the sunlight of a bright spring afternoon, just as Joshua walked by. There he stood before her once again, with his tall physique, his milk-white, pale complexion and his blond handlebar mustache. She knew that Joshua had devoted his life to bringing happiness to other people’s hearts. He lived each and every moment in accordance with the spiritual laws of the universe, and he cooperated with such enthusiasm that he brought total joy to everyone he met. Similarly, he had a gift for healing those around him by allowing the all-existent power to work in and through him, so that goodness, truth and beauty filled the world around him. Pleasantly surprised to see him, she knew deep in her heart that Joshua had been one of the first to nurture and believe in her. All her relationships and triumphs had begun with that magnificent, critical day at the carousel, and with him at her side. She realized that if there were one person she most wanted to be like, it would be Joshua.

He looked back at her. She sensed that a new phase of life was blossoming for her. Why now? Then she remembered Pegasus’ prediction.

“Hey, Joshua, how’s your ranch going?”

His eyes glistened with excitement. “It’s goin’ real well, darlin’. But there’s one problem.”

“What’s that?”

“Training my instructors to teach youngsters with disabilities. I need teachers with more than horse riding know how.”

“Sure. They need to know about disabilities.”

He looked into her eyes. “Karen, I keep thinking of you as a little girl learning to ride a carousel horse, but you’re growing up. Now you’re a young lady, and you might be the answer to my problem. You can be the bridge between the instructors and the disabled kids. You’re articulate and easy to get along with. You can speak for the kids, who can’t speak for themselves. Will you help out? You can be my advocate instructor.”

Karen curled her toes to keep her balance. “I’d love to, but I’ve never taught anybody, and I’m only fourteen. I’m too young to even drive a car.”

Joshua grinned and winked. “You know horses, and you know disabled kids. You can do it.”

Kitten put her right hand on her heart. She felt Joshua’s sincerity. Her nervousness changed to joy. She remembered what Pegasus had told her and it gave her the courage to respond from her heart.

“I feel honored, but teach me to become a disability riding instructor. I’m happy to advocate, but I need to teach and give my all.”

“Consider it done. I always wanted you on my team. I would not have my disability riding ranch if it wasn’t for you. You gave me the drive to accomplish this. You helped me keep sight of what was important.”

As Karen relished these sweet words and the feelings behind them, Mama came out of Gilberto’s studio. “Joshua, what a treat to see you! How are things going at the ranch?”

“It’s going well, but I have a favor to ask. I need an instructor at my ranch who knows horses and who knows disabled kids. I reckon you know who I mean.”

“Karen?”

He nodded. “I’ll give her everything she needs to get certified. We have almost forty students now. I know from what Karen has accomplished, she will be a blessing.”

Mama thought for a moment. “Karen has something extraordinary to give. Of course, I think so. I’m her mother. If you see it, too, then I won’t stand in her way.”

Joshua grinned again. “You won’t be sorry. Your girl is gonna change what the world thinks people with disabilities can do.”

Karen gleamed, too happy to speak. She and Mama threw their arms around Joshua. Karen felt her true self blossoming.

The Healing Horse, Ch. 37, Scene 7: Reflecting with Pegasus

When young Karen reflects with her spiritual mentor, he confirms she has developed the ability to live in the moment and to watch her thoughts and feelings come and go without letting them carry her away. Today, we have the vocabulary to understand this. In the early sixties, we did not. Big thanks to Tara Brach for teaching the world about radical compassion!

Part 1 – Radical Compassion – Loving Ourselves and Our World into Healing

Scene 7: Reflecting with Pegasus

Karen hopped out of Mama’s Chevy and waved goodbye from the dusty ranch parking lot. The day had gone better than expected. She was still exhausted. She trudged to the barn. No Pegasus. She walked to the meadow. There he was. He knew how to enjoy a clear winter evening. Nothing got him down. She looked up into the black sky sparkling with silver stars and inhaled the sweet country air. Yes. Life was good.

She walked to him and leaned against his solid, warm side. “Hey boy, I’m back from another clinic and eval. Here’s what happened…”

He nodded and whinnied before speaking. “You are doing fine, staying the course—listening, hearing, but not taking negative comments personally. You are achieving more than people expect. Going beyond their limiting ideas about you. Your reasoning is becoming clear as crystal. You are taking all sides into account as you unravel the knots of untruth. You are blending the spiritual world with everyday reality. Keep going! Keep mastering those moments when your mind can become foggy. Remain the master of your mind, even when people deliberately try to cloud it. Transcend their expectations. Continue as the wise, honest, caring person you are, and let nothing impede the beauty that you possess!”

She hugged him. “Thanks, Pegasus. You always put life into perspective.”

“One other thing, Kitten. Someone you know is about to rethink his opinion of you and your abilities. He has an important message about how you can use horses to help other disabled children. When you see him, be wise and agree to try what he wants, even if it seems impossible.”

“You mean Joshua?”

“I have said enough. You will find out soon.”

With these words in her mind, she walked home and fell asleep without eating dinner.

Karen had learned to accept her feelings and allow them to dissipate on their own, naturally. She did not fight them anymore. She knew that if she could accept what was happening in the moment, the feelings would gradually pass. Her thoughts were things she could control, along with her emotions. Through self-care, self-compassion, and radical acceptance, she had made peace within herself.

The Healing Horse, Ch. 17, Scene 6: Evaluation

Photo of Lady Bird Johnson in red skirt suit

This scene continues the upbeat tone of the chapter. Young Karen is thirteen and full of life. More importantly, she is learning to advocate for herself.

[Image of Lady Bird Johnson by Robert Knudsen, White House Press Office (WHPO), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

Scene 6: Evaluation

Mama put her arm around Karen’s shoulder as they stood outside the PT room door. “Deep breath, my Krana Layala. We can do this.”

Karen hugged her back and breathed deeply before pulling open the heavy door with her strong right hand. “After you, Mama.”

She followed her mother into the room, and the atmosphere differed completely from the morning clinic. Dr. Lambert was missing, and so were the experts who had been there to watch his performance in the morning. Somehow, the room looked like it had more light in it. She took another deep breath. Maybe she could relax now.

Principal Stephanie Sinclair paused from rearranging the chairs. “Katie and Karen! it’s good to see you both.”

Her voice was always soothing; completely different from Lambert’s high-pitched whine. She straightened her red skirt suit jacket and patted her bouffant into place. With her heavy eye makeup, she looked like Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, but dressed like Lady Bird Johnson.

Mama held out her hand to shake. “Let us help with the chairs, Principal Sinclair.”

“This isn’t a formal meeting. You can call me Stephie like always. And thank you.”

Karen smiled as the two women hugged, and then she helped them move the chairs into a circle.

They sat down with Karen and Mama next to the principal, so they were included in the group, not a passive audience listening to experts. Miss Kimiko, Karen’s Occupational Therapist, came in with Karen’s classroom teacher, and the physical therapist who had replaced Mrs. Pinzetti followed them. They all sat down.

Principal Stephie held up a piece of lined notebook paper. “Dr. Lambert was called away, so he won’t be joining us. His notes say Karen’s gate has improved dramatically. Her back is much straighter. But we already knew that.”

She nodded to the two therapists. “He recommends continuing her therapies.”

Miss Kimiko smiled and clapped her hands. “My little kitten. I love working with her.”

“And he says dancing won’t hurt her, so why don’t we write that into the IEP? I hear Karen put on quite the performance for him.”

“Yes!” Karen said with a grin.

“And that’s it for Dr. Lambert.” Principal Stephie tucked the paper into her notebook and rolled her eyes. “Now, what else?” She looked at Karen.

“English and History are hard for me. Could I get tutoring?”

“Yes. I can try to arrange that.”

Karen looked up at Principal Stephie, and then at her mother. She realized the adults in the circle were smiling at her. They were all on her side. She beamed.

Principal Stephie wrote in her notebook and stood up. “Between the tutoring and your determination to learn, you will make great progress. The meeting is done, and you have a new IEP.”

The Healing Horse, Ch. 37, Scene 5: Lunch with Mama

photo of fresh strawberries

Young Karen’s delightful day continues as she lunches with Mama and plans the afternoon evaluation. She needs more academic tutoring, and that’s what they will ask for. Dr. Lambert can’t stop her now!

[Image by Changhwan Han, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons]

Scene 5: Lunch with Mama

Karen danced through the cafetorium doors and up to the counter. She grabbed a vanilla yogurt and a pack of fresh strawberries, then danced back and sat down next to her Mama. They hugged.

“Mama, I like that electric blue skirt suit. You must have been able to get away from work after all.”

Mama smiled and sipped her black coffee. She took the brace out of Karen’s hand. “My boss gave me the afternoon off. What’s with this thing and the tap shoes?”

“I danced for Dr. Lambert and the experts.”

“Did they applaud?”

“No. They just stared.”

“I’ll bet. And what did the good doctor have to say?”

“That his prescribed therapies were working wonders, because Gilberto’s dance lessons couldn’t be helping. And I don’t need the brace anymore.”

Mama shook her head and sipped her black coffee. “That makes sense. They have their positions to defend. They don’t want dance instructors competing with them for insurance and government money. You didn’t lose your temper, did you?”

Karen noticed her mother’s tired eyes and hoped she was not adding to the stress. “I did say something about dance producing dancers and therapies producing cripples.”

Mama rolled her eyes and hugged Karen again. “That’s my Krana Layala. Gilberto will die laughing when he hears.”

Karen nodded. She couldn’t wait to tell him. And Pegasus too. “What about this afternoon, Mama? You don’t suppose Dr. Lambert will try to get his revenge on me?”

“Probably not. I don’t think he can do anything to hurt you. Unless he makes some horrible recommendations, we should focus on getting you more academic tutoring.”

The Healing Horse, Ch. 37, Scene 4: Clinic

In this scene, young Karen not only shows the experts that dance could do what their therapies could not, she says goodbye to her leg brace for good.

The video clip is of me, the grownup Karen, dancing and talking about the impact of dance on my life. It also shows my teacher, the famous Al Gilbert, talking about this from a teacher’s point of view.

Scene 4: Clinic

The next day, Karen found herself once again sitting on a hard, wooden chair in the hallway outside the Physical Therapy room. It was the day of her winter clinic, and once again, Mama could not attend. With the brace strapped around her left leg, Karen felt like a helpless little girl about to face the mighty experts who would determine her future.

Then she heard Pegasus’ voice in her mind. “Dance. Take off the brace and show them what you can do.”

Yes! She would show them. Karen dug into the dance bag she now carried with her everywhere and changed into her tap shoes. She unstrapped the brace. She warmed up with simple shuffles and hops, and in a moment had forgotten why she was in that dismal hallway, again.

She did not know how long she had been dancing when the door to the Physical Therapy room opened and Dr. Lambert looked out. He cleared his throat, and she stopped dancing. He was still tall and fat, and he still wore a gray suit with a gray tie, his bald head covered with tiny beads of sweat, but now there was a difference. She was not afraid of him. He did not know this.

He looked up from his clipboard with a frown. He did not know her by name. “Karen Hearshstein. Is that you? You look different from last fall, and you are dancing. I would not believe it, but I just saw it. Come in for your clinic.”

His frown deepened into a glare as he spoke the last few words and pivoted away from her. She followed him in with her taps clicking on the linoleum floor. As usual, there were several rows of graduate students and interns seated auditorium style on hard steel folding chairs.

She felt like the star in a freak show to entertain them. The horrible Mrs. Pinzetti and Mrs. DeLuca from a few years before were gone, and the new therapists were nicer, but no one helped her like Gilberto. Her life was now devoted to helping others through dance, so she would cooperate with the experts, even the detestable Dr. Lambert. They would be happy to learn that dance had done for her what their therapies could not.

Dr. Lambert took her through the steps of the clinic. He examined her spine and commented that it was much straighter. He examined her gate and her heel cords. As always, he treated her like a trained animal that could respond to simple vocal commands.

After a few minutes, he turned to the assembly of experts. “When I first treated this girl, I thought she would never walk. She was diagnosed with paralysis on the left side, and no one saw any hope for her. I recommended to her mother that we amputate her left leg and arm so that her little body could put its energy into developing the right side, which is not paralyzed. We even recommended hospitalization at Sonoma.”

Several of the experts gasped and talked among themselves. The horrors of Sonoma were no longer a secret.

Dr. Lambert continued. “Over the years, the mother stubbornly insisted that we not perform any surgeries to improve her daughter’s life, and she refused to even discuss the Sonoma option. Regardless of scientific evidence, she would not budge. During last fall’s clinic and eval, she reported that her daughter had begun dance lessons. I told her I thought that might be enjoyable for the child, but not to expect any significant physical improvements from it. The testing we did showed a slight improvement in Karen’s gate and overall strength, but nothing unusual. However, we now see major improvements. Karen, please dance a little for us.”

Without speaking, Karen did a few shuffles before spinning across the floor with one Maxi Ford turn after another.

“That’s enough, Karen.”

She stopped. He continued. “Today, I found that Karen’s heel cords appear quite normal. You can see that she no longer needs the brace to walk, and her left leg—the one we thought would be paralyzed forever—can now bear weight and even propel her upward, so she can hop into the air with it. Her back is almost straight, too. This is all scientifically impossible. There is no known therapy that could have produced these results. The only conclusion is that we misdiagnosed Karen, and so the therapies she received at school produced this unexpected result. It could not have been the dance lessons, which are for amusement only.”

He sniffed. “Karen, you may go to lunch now. We will continue with your evaluation this afternoon.”

Karen picked up her dance bag and brace. “What should I do with the brace? I don’t need it anymore. Could I give it to a child who needs it?”

Dr. Lambert’s upper lip curled. “Take it with you. I certainly don’t want it. Now, go!”

For a moment, Karen frowned back. Then, she gave him her most dazzling smile and danced out of the room, spinning in one Maxi Ford turn after another, her eyes focused on the doctor’s face, using it as a stable reference point to maintain her orientation. In the doorway, she did a routine of shuffles in place, faster and faster until the taps on her shoes created a rainbow of rhythm that even the experts could not ignore. Some of them swayed with her rhythm.

As suddenly as she began dancing, she stopped. The experts froze with her, eyes fixed upon her. She quoted Dr. Lambert. “‘There is no known therapy that could have produced these results.’ But, there is dance. This is dance. I am dance. Dance produces dancers. Known therapies produce cripples.”

She jumped into the air, clicked her heel taps together, and whirled down the hallway to the cafetorium, repeating Maxi Ford turns and ball changes as Dr. Lambert and the experts stared through the PT room door.

The Healing Horse, Ch. 37, Scene 3: The Mirror

In this scene, Karen’s endless practice pays off. She performs the difficult Maxi Ford turn while waiting for her dance lesson. On a personal note, without my beloved mother’s love and encouragement, none of this would have happened. Happy Mother’s Day to every mom in the world!

Here’s a lovely video of some young kids having fun doing Maxi Ford turns.

Scene 3: The Mirror

The next day, Karen rode to the studio with Mama. Someone had canceled, and Gilberto wanted to give her a free lesson. They hurried through the doors.

Inside, Miss Devine pursed her lips. “I’m sorry. There was some miscommunication. The boy we thought canceled showed up, anyway. But Gilberto can teach you in an hour.”

Karen frowned, but only for a second. She had an idea. “Is one of the dance studios free? I could practice until Gilberto is ready for me.”

“Yes. The small one.”

“That should be perfect. Is it okay with you, Mama?”

“Yes, but I’d like to run some errands. See you in a couple of hours.”

Karen kissed Mama goodbye and skipped down the hall to the empty studio. Inside, she looked into the wall of mirrors. Without the distraction of the other students in the room, she could see what she really looked like. She got a new perspective on herself and on how she wanted to look.

Within herself she did not feel disabled, but when she looked into the mirror, her reflection staggered her. Her left arm bent at an angle when she lifted it. It would not stay straight like her right. It remained at a 45 degree slant. And her hips were uneven because her left leg was three-quarters of an inch shorter than the right. Her body needed a lot of work.

If she wanted to become a teacher, she would have to train her left arm not to hike up whenever her right was in motion. She had to train those motor areas in her brain to work for her, just as she did with her left leg.

She would become even more disciplined and do anything to make her body strong so it could do the movements her brain told it to. Her strong lion arm would assist her left kitten arm. She was not afraid to show her vulnerability or her strength to the world.

What she saw in the mirror taught her love, unconditional acceptance, and humility. She would give the same to everyone that she was learning to give to herself. Like an oyster in a shell, she would develop her mind and body into a perfectly cultured pearl.

A dancer’s posture is perfect. Dancers stand tall and are proud of themselves. She vowed to give herself the same.

To be a real dancer, her body needed to look like a dancer’s. She gave herself an affirmation:

Through dance, I stand tall and proud. Through dance, I am a dancer.

This was now her motivation, then she thought, This is all wonderful. But if I don’t stop looking in the mirror and thinking about my posture, I’ll never start practicing. Now to become like the beautiful Bolshoi ballerina I met the other night.

She luxuriated in practicing her steps over the full area of the studio floor. First, with the elementary steps, she became more and more engrossed as she moved on to more advanced steps.

The Maxi Ford turn is named after a famous vaudeville tap dancer of the 1940s. Karen had watched Gilberto teaching it to some of the other students, and she had been secretly practicing it at home. She put her hands on her hips for balance and focused her eyes on the wall clock. Then she began the move. She stepped hard with her right foot, transferring all her weight onto that leg. Then she did a shuffle, a quick forward and back motion against the floor with her left foot, which made her body spin to the right, so she landed on her left foot and tapped the floor behind her left foot with her right toe. She repeated the motion, faster and faster, spinning across the floor from one wall to the other, where she reversed, stamped onto her left foot and did Maxi Ford turns the other way, back across the floor. Faster and faster, she spun, back and forth, back and forth, lost in the music and the movement of the dance.

A draft of cool air passed over her face and broke her concentration. She stopped dancing and turned to the studio door. Gilberto stood in it, tears of joy streaming down his face.

“Sweetheart, you’re dancing like a pro and without your brace. You don’t need that brace at all anymore.”

The Healing Horse, Ch. 37, Scene 2: The New Class

Image of welcome mat made with pink glitter

In the previous scene, young Karen’s teacher (Al Gilbert in real life) promotes her to a more advanced dance class. Her devotion and determination are paying off. But how will the other students in the new class react to her? Read and find out…

(Image by Damu ravindra pawar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Scene 2: The New Class

The next day, as Mama drove her through the afternoon traffic from school to Gilberto’s, Karen stared out the window in silence. Would the students in the new class accept her, or would they tease her because of her disability? What if she could not dance as well as Gilberto thought? She shook her head and cleared these negative thoughts from her mind. Gilberto would never put her into an embarrassing or humiliating situation. And she was ready for anything.

Mama parked. “Sweetheart, enjoy your new class. I have errands to run. See you in an hour.”

Mama would not be at the class. Karen would be alone. That was a surprise. No. Gilberto would be there at her side. She would be fine. Karen forced a smile. “Okay, Mama.”

She grabbed her dance case and ran through the studio door and into a changing room. A few minutes later, she walked down the hall. It seemed longer and darker than usual. Gilberto’s voice came muffled through a door, followed by the giggles of girls. Her new class. She took a deep breath and stood up straight.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a tall red-haired girl smiled at her. “Hi! I’m Ginger. You must be Karen. I’ve seen you around but never got to meet you.”

She stuck out her hand, and they shook. Then the dozen other girls and boys in the class took turns welcoming her. She felt at home with them.

Gilberto beamed. “Class, this is Karen. She just earned a promotion to your class, and she’s gonna do great! Let’s dance.”

Karen took her usual place at the barre and followed along as Gilberto demonstrated the dance routine the class had been working on before the break.

“You’re all doing great! You’re looking good. Let’s everyone move to the center of the studio so we can practice our routine. Remember to listen to the music and the beat.”

He turned on the music. “It’s a one and a two and a hop…”

The class leaped into motion, and Karen kept up with them. For her, it was a new routine, but she knew all the steps, and Gilberto’s demonstration had burned it into her memory.

She felt almost as if she were in a dream, watching her body perform the steps with grace. The long hours of practice were bearing fruit. She was dancing. She was becoming a dancer. As long as she could practice, she could learn anything. Her self-doubts melted away.

The Healing Horse, Ch. 37: Giving Away the Brace

photo of rainbow with clouds in background

Chapter 37 continues the adventure, as Karen’s long hours of practice pay off.

(Image by Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Scene 1: “…like the perfect daughter…”

During the holiday break, Karen practiced dance all day, every day. She was dancing when Mama left for work, and she was still dancing when Mama returned. Instead of wearing out from all the practice, she grew stronger every day.

On January fourth, right after break ended, Karen ran from the school bus to her front door. In her bedroom, she changed into a leotard and tights and began her warm-up without wasting a minute. Plié, plié, plié. But then she heard a familiar step on the front porch.

“Mama, is that you? You’re home early.”

“Yes, my Krana Layala. Miss Devine called, and Gilberto has an opening at four-thirty.”

Karen ran to the front door and was in the car without another word.

A few minutes later, she raced ahead of Mama and through the doors of Gilberto’s studio. “Hi, Miss Devine! I’m here!”

Miss Devine smiled a hello, and Gilberto walked in from the hallway to the studios. “Hi, sweetheart! Hi, Katie! So wonderful to see you both. I missed Karen and wondered how she was. Maybe, next time we have a holiday break, you can find a few minutes to telephone and let me know how you’re doing? I wish you well in my thoughts every day. You’re not just another student to me. You’re like the perfect daughter I never had. I need to hear from you every few days.”

Karen beamed and threw her arms around Gilberto. “I missed you, too. You’re like the father I never got to know. And I practiced all I could during break.”

“All you could?”

“All day, every day.”

“Why am I not surprised? Let’s dance.”

He laughed and did the shuffle down the hallway to a studio, with Karen pirouetting behind him.

In the studio, Gilberto put on some music, and Karen performed her shuffles flawlessly. Between her eyebrows, wrinkles appeared from concentration. Her lips opened with the slightest bit of her tongue showing, and then they smiled with the smile that Gilberto had taught her to wear while dancing—the joyful smile that expressed the happiness of dancing.

She did the shuffle hop, the shuffle toe back, and the shuffle hop toe.

Gilberto clapped his hands with the music. “You’re doing it. You have those steps down perfectly. And your left foot taps as clearly as your right. Your balance is perfect, too.”

They went through more of the elementary steps, and she showed him that by practicing all day, every day, she had mastered them all. Her goal had been to make her hushed left limp sound as crisp, clear and strong as her right. Now, her leg was doing just that. Her repeating rhythmic rhymes resounded like ringing bells.

Gilberto smiled in his gentle way, and his eyes filled with tears of joy and pride. “It’s time to move you up a grade.”

When she heard that, Karen felt as if she were a rainbow floating in the clouds and shining with light.

The Healing Horse, Ch. 36, Scene 5: Blossoming

photo of pink rosebud with dewdrops

We all need confirmation of our dreams, and even of other people’s dreams for us. In this scene, Pegasus confirms young Karen’s greatest hope. She will blossom into a dancer and a dance teacher.

(Image by Audrey from Central Pennsylvania, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Scene 5: Blossoming

Outside the Shrine Auditorium, the cool night air cleared Karen’s head as she followed Mama and Gilberto down the sidewalk to Mama’s car. Gilberto said goodnight and walked to his own car.

Mama cranked the engine and pulled out into the late evening traffic. “I can read your mind, my Krana Layala, and yes, of course you can talk with Pegasus on the way home. But watch where you put your feet in those pretty new shoes. They’re not cowboy boots. And I will wait for you in the car. It’s too late at night for young ladies to be walking along country roads by themselves.”

Karen giggled and leaned back into the car seat. A moment later, Mama shook her. She had dozed off. Mama had parked at the ranch.

She slid out of the car and picked her way across the field to the barn. She did not want to step in something stinky in the dark. In the barn, she slipped into Pegasus’ stall and cleared her throat.

He woke up. “Kitten, what are you doing here? It’s late, and you look like you’re dressed for the opera.”

“Actually, it was the ballet, and Gilberto introduced me to the lead dancers. They had me show them my ballet steps and said I will become a dance teacher.”

“And they know dance. You can make a big difference in the lives of disabled people. This is not just your dream. It is your mission in life. You will blossom into a dancer and a dance teacher.”

Everything good in her life felt reinforced.

The Healing Horse, Ch. 36, Scene 4: Meeting the dancers

Image of red curtain drawn across a stage

Just as Gilberto in the story (Al Gilbert in real life) believes in young Karen and encourages her to dance, so the lead dancers of the Bolshoi tell her to never give up. She can dance and teach dancing!

(Image by tommybuddy, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Scene 4: Meeting the Dancers

Karen followed Mama and Gilberto as the curtain dropped into place behind them. She inhaled the warm, sweet scent of the wooden stage sets in the dimly lit space behind the drapes. She felt even more empowered. I will accomplish my goal. I will pass on Gilberto’s legacy by teaching other disabled people and by showing them they, too, can accomplish their own dreams. Also that moving and stretching their bodies can be fun.

The wood in the stage sets and floors made her feel as strong as an oak tree firmly grounded. Mama’s eyebrows went up. She looked as surprised as Karen felt. But Gilberto grinned like the Cheshire cat. He was up to something.

After a moment, Wiessea and Blancka, the lead dancers, emerged from one wing, the fabric of Blancka’s tutu glimmering in the dim light. They smiled through thick stage makeup, and Karen stared up at them, her inspiration. Their warm smiles lighted up her heart.

Wiessea laid his powerful hands on Karen’s shoulders and kissed her on both cheeks. “Gilberto is famous, even in Russia. Did you know that? He is a master teacher, a person we respect. He says you can dance. Show us your ballet, darling. Show us what you have learned.”

Karen’s heart swelled even more. Gilberto believed in her with all his heart. He looked at her, smiled, and nodded with encouragement and acceptance.

She took a deep breath and composed herself. Focusing on the technique, she showed them her ballet plies. Beginning with the first position. Remembering in her mind what Gilberto taught her. “Bend your knee, keep your back straight, and your heels together,” she whispered to herself. Kitten even showed them a grand plié. Perfect, she told herself.

Blancka stepped forward and gave Karen an enormous hug and kiss on the cheeks. “You did that beautifully, darling. Show everyone your light. Think of us, always dancing by your side. Keep up the great work. “

Wiessea could not believe his eyes. He saw that a disabled little girl had learned ballet and changed her once twisted body. “Gilberto was right,” he said. “Keep doing what you love and you will continue to transform the use of your limbs and condition. You will teach dance. And teach others what it means to dance with everything you have.”

Blancka stepped back and stood next to Wiessea. “Remember, practice every day, like us, sweetheart.” They looked at each other resolutely. They knew Karen would do wonderful things with her body and life.

Karen nodded. “I will. I promise. Every moment I have.”

The dancers beamed and embraced her again. “Never give up.”

They bowed and ran back into the wing. Karen knew she would always remember this moment. It had changed her life.