Five years ago, I am prepped and ready for my Salsa Level 1 class. It’s the first class, and for our school level 1 is a really important class, based on how well I do as an instructor, what kind of experience they have, these are the students who will become our new family members.
Hopefully, they’ll continue with us into level two level three, you know, they’ll make amazing friendships happen. They’ll relationship start on our dance floor so much. Incredible. So many incredible memories come, our students way and yeah, so my, my students come in, I am teaching my first class and it’s not a clock.
So now, we’re a couple of minutes into the class and I’m doing my standard speech.
Gang, welcome my name is Aleks. I’m so excited to see you. I don’t know if you know this but…”
As I’m into the mic the power in the studio goes off but no, not only in the studio, it turns off in the whole building,
The speaker…everything is off. Only the emergency lights are being lit right now and you can see a little bit of blue light from my computer screen, everybody freezes.
I freeze and I am panicking because in my mind I’m like,
“Oh my god, this is their first class and literally the power goes off something. Oh, Jesus, I’m gonna have to do, refunds. People are gonna quit on me.”
Like my mind is going into a panic, all the worst-case scenarios and I honestly don’t know what came over me, but I just looked at everyone. Standing there, looking confused…and I said,
“You know guys lights or no lights. We’re gonna have a great time!”
I go and get my computer and I place it in the middle of the studio to give a bit of light as I start teaching the lesson.
I’m yelling as I teach (no mic right?) and I teach the lesson and then I turn on my computer’s music. You know you can barely hear it. People still kind of make out the music and they’re dancing and then I go and I rush and I get my cell phone.
I turn on the light, the flashlight on the cell phone, and I lean it against the wall. Just to add a bit more light and start to walk the room and see the students.
As I’m walking around, and I’m going to different students giving advice and stuff. I see students start to walk to the bench and I’m like,
“oh no, like this is it, they’re gonna quit”
I see students start to take out their cell phones, turn on their flashlights and start to put it on the floor, around the studio, and I’m standing and watching and awe, as, as the whole studio. Now is filled with cell phones.
The whole studio is lit with little lights…it’s incredible.
It was such a precious and beautiful moment to have witnessed that.
It reminds me that in the darkest hour, the most difficult time is when we most need to share our light with each other.
In that moment, the easy thing could have been like,
“Guys. You know what, we’re gonna cancel this class will shift over the semester. It’s okay.”
But in that moment, something in my mind clicked and said,
“No, dude, You can make this work. You can make this work.”
And so, I just put out my little light, and others were inspired.
Others were inspired to share their light.
See everyone is waiting for someone else to share their light but I believe in my heart that we all I have a responsibility that when we share our own little light that’s how we make the world a better place.
Instead of waiting for someone else, to do the right thing, instead of waiting for someone else to take the first step, why not you? In the way that you can.
Look individually what can one cellphone do…what can one positive act do?
Like a cellphone light…it gives hope that others can join you there.
My cell phone didn’t light the whole room…it gave hope.
If your light doesn’t overwhelm the whole space, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t count.
IT COUNTS!
Because that little light that you shine, brings people together It inspires hope.
And when we get a bunch of little lights together.
Well, our world lights up.
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.
