The Elle Train

My sweet girls had their summer dance recital last weekend. They're in a tumbling class together, and their  performance was a combination of dancing and gymnastics. We worked hard in the weeks leading up to the show to straighten legs, point toes and practice, practice, practice.

In spite of the stage and curtain and large audience, Elle wasn't the least bit nervous (autistic kids usually don't anticipate, and don't experience butterflies or fear as often as rest of us). As I watched from backstage, I noticed Elle adding extra moves--a jump here, a leap there, a kick, a ponytail flip. She changed her back walkovers to switch-kicks, and her good side cartwheels to her bad side cartwheels. A lot of the stuff we practiced was missing, along with her straight legs and pointed toes. But she was smiling ear-to-ear, skipping her way through the performance, clearly having a blast.

When I asked her about it later, she said she added extra stuff because it was fun. I suggested next time she do the routine she practiced. She said no thank you.

Since her little contributions didn't affect the other girls, and because Elle feels so free to be herself no matter the situation, I say go for it, my love. Life with you is always like a box of chocolates.