In 2006, I undertook a thorough reading of all the works of all my favorite writers. Among the writers whose collected works I completed was Haruki Murakami, a contemporary Japanese novelist who writes vast, lonely, weird books about life and love and jazz music and loss. I came across this quote in one of his works, which is the story of an ad writer sent on a nonsensical journey to find a sheep with a star on it, only to discover an alternate reality in the hotel where he stays. This quote, uttered by one of the characters that lives in the alternate reality, has stuck with me ever since. It was in the Bio section of my Facebook profile for a little while.
“Dance,” said the Sheep Man. “Yougottadance. Aslongasthemusicplays. Yougotta dance. Don’teventhinkwhy. Starttothink, yourfeetstop. Yourfeetstop, wegetstuck. Wegetstuck, you’restuck. Sodon’tpayanymind, nomatterhowdumb. Yougottakeepthestep. Yougottalimberup. Yougottaloosenwhatyoubolteddown. Yougottauseallyougot. Weknowyou’re tired, tiredandscared. Happenstoeveryone, okay? Justdon’tletyourfeetstop.”
I looked up and gazed again at the shadow on the wall.
“Dancingiseverything,” continued the Sheep Man. “Danceintip-topform. Dancesoitallkeepsspinning. Ifoudothat, wemightbeabletodosomethingforyou. Yougottadance. Aslongasthemusicplays.”
Haruki Murakami, Dance Dance Dance
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