Dancing in Spanish Harlem

Posted on by beautybeyondbones

So yesterday was my birthday 🙂

And I’ll tell you what…if there’s one thing I took away from the day, aside from how special friends and loved ones are, it’s how infinitely beautiful and diverse the culture is in NYC.

Indulge me for a moment.

Yesterday was one of those days that literally goes on forever. I kid you not, I think I saw just about every walk of life in one afternoon.

My friend and I went to The Cloisters – which is a monastery-turned MET art gallery way up in Washington Heights, where we heard probably 5 different languages from the myriad of European tourists taking in our *culture.*

The rest of the day consisted of a walk through The Bronx, getting lost in Spanish Harlem, happy hour at a Puerto Rican bar in Harlem, dinner at an uppity/cross-fit/health nut/vegan place downtown in Greenwich Village, drinks at a sports bar in midtown, and finally, a nightcap with a celebrity chef we randomly met from Spain at a speakeasy in the Financial District.

So. Much. Culture.

It’s safe to say that by the end of the day…my feet hurt.

But there was one moment yesterday that really stood out to me.

It happened when my friend and I were strolling through the Bronx. And for a girl who rarely goes above 14th Street in the Village, being up in 160’s/170’s was a far cry from home.

But one fun fact about me, is that during the first couple years that I lived in the city, I was the lead singer of a latin cover band.

Now I know what you’re thinking: “But…you’re not…”

I KNOW, people.

However, I have seven years of spanish under my belt, and I have an uncanny ear for accents. (Maybe it was all the practice I had as a kid doing weird accents around the house.)

But I digress.

Anywho – as a result of this little musical endeavor, I know all of the latin hits.

So walking through the Bronx yesterday, past all the open air hooka bars with sidewalk seating, blasting the latest latin hits; or the Barber shops and Beauty Parlors where there were groups of ladies or gentlemen congregated outside around a boom box, my ears were having a nostalgic field day.

And as we were walking by one of those barber shops, my all time favorite song came on, called Carnival.

I started singing it to myself, and did a little dance/walk/shoulder thing because…I am *that* cool.

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And all of a sudden, this little old man, all of about 5’4″, comes over and starts dancing with me to this Latin hit, surprised that I knew the words. And he was smiling this big, toothy grin -albeit missing several teeth. But we just had this beautiful moment of joy, dancing to the same music. We didn’t speak the same language, but we did speak music. We did speak joy.

That connection was just so genuine and pure.

Riding the subway back down the 150 blocks or so — for 45 minutes — I couldn’t help but think about that frail, little old man.

And I know this sounds cheesy, but I kept thinking about God in him.

I hate to admit it, but from the outside, this man was not someone I would have typically sought out to interact with. I mean, his clothes were worn and dirty, I don’t think he had showered in a couple days. And I mean…I’m big on dental hygiene. But dancing with him – even for just that 8 second chorus – there was such a beautiful light that radiated from him.

That was God inside of him. That was the inherent worth and value and beauty that all of us possess, simply for being made in His image, reflecting His light.

But how many times have I missed opportunities like that, simply because I’ve been deterred by the outside packaging?

Sure, maybe not a spontaneous dance sequence that legit looked like it could have come out of a scene of some Spanish-version of Grease. But what kinds of meaningful connections have I passed by, simply because I was too focused on the outside, or too wrapped up in myself, or my iPhone?

God is all around us. Within us. Sometimes you just have to look past the rough exterior.

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beautybeyondbones

BBB: Because we're all recovering from something. // For speaking/business inquiries: beautybeyondbones@yahoo.com

429 thoughts on “Dancing in Spanish Harlem”

  1. First off, I LOVE LA CARNIVAL! It’s my fave salsa song! And it gets me so excited to move and dance and express myself! Second! You are so right! God is in everyone and everything!!! Whether people are so called Christian or of any other faith, they are infused with God. It is like this: the idea of a ship sunken in the depths of the ocean: while the ship contains the water and the water contains the ship, the ship only contains a fraction of the water while the water contains the whole of the ship. This is a Pete Rollins idea. We are the ship and God is the ocean. Beautiful post 🙂

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  6. Happy Birthday! God loves you! I loved your adventure you took us on with you. I love moments like that in a festival. You two would have made me smile! God gave you such a beautiful soul in such a beautiful moment! Love your heart for God!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Sounds like a fun day! Everyone does have worth because of the image we are created in. God is good, and does show us beauty in the everyday occurrences, especially on birthdays.

    Happy belated birthday, by the way!

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  10. I hope your birthday was amazing!! And I loved this post. It’s amazing how, with certain people, you can see the Lord’s light just radiating off of them. Also, you’re welcome to teach me how to dance anytime. 😉

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  14. Beautiful words, experience, and sounds like an awesome birthday! I’ve been asking God to help me with mental judgement, just like my blog’s name, we have to look on the inside of a person. That’s how God sees us. ❤

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  15. Hi BBB,

    Gotta love the God moments. Have a great week and may more come showering your way.

    In Christ,

    Gary

    On Mon, Aug 7, 2017 at 3:58 PM, BeautyBeyondBones wrote:

    > beautybeyondbones posted: “So yesterday was my birthday 🙂 And I’ll tell > you what…if there’s one thing I took away from the day, aside from how > special friends and loved ones are, it’s how infinitely beautiful and > diverse the culture is in NYC. Indulge me for a moment. Yesterd” >

    Like

  16. First of all happy belated birthday! Wow this is so amazing to read and I can almost feel the joy you must have felt, relationships and interactions built with people even for a short time is a great part of life and God is found in those moments and in the sharing of joy and love and vulnerability

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  24. OMG where and when did I miss this one!! How wonderful!! I want to go cd/record shopping in El Barrio next spring at Casa Latina Music and El Barrio Music Center and dance with you not to be some cheap pervert but to be your friend and also see if I am doing it right!! Hugs and Love!!! xoxoxoxo

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