Thoughts.

Today's rehearsal was the first longer one of a large amount of future long days.
There were many of the larger scenes all together, and it left for many things to be observed.
I thought about how far I still have to go in dance. I thought about how far I've come. I thought about how far my friends have come in short amounts of time. I thought about where I could be had I been dancing longer. I thought of how dancing longer may have lead to me feeling burned out rather than as passionate as I do.
I thought of many things.

Then I had one of the little ones next to me. I saw how they went at everything with confidence, unafraid of opinions of people around them. I thought of dancers I've gotten to see grow and learn.
I thought of how babies don't just take off at a run, but have to first learn to crawl, then stand, then walk, then run.
That dance is a similar process. You can't just start ballet and expect to be perfect a year later. You have to go through the process of learning. It's easier to accept that when you're younger than it is for people to accept that as an adult, but the process is the same.
You begin ballet. Then as you learn and progress, you get a little more confident and start learning more complex moves and combinations and start making what you know more challenging. Then you get pointe shoes and have to re-learn what you know to compensate. You don't just get your shoes and become amazing, it's a whole process in itself. You get your shoes and learn how to not hate them. Then you learn balance and have to strengthen your muscles. Then you learn how to roll through and scoop. Then you put all of this together and start doing what you knew on flat shoes, just on the tips of your toes.
It takes time and it's a process,

As an adult, it's more difficult to remember that you are not immune to the process.
It takes time. It is a process.
You'll get better if you stick to it, and thinking of the future can be overwhelming as a young adult. But you can't let that scare you.
Just keep going.
Don't get anxious.
Take it one class at a time.
Keep pressing.
Keep working hard.
You'll get there. You'll improve.
Your hard work isn't for nothing.