Grow like a child

Do you remember the 8 year old toothless rascal you once were? How about the 16 year old acne ridden teen? And 24? How much have you changed by now? Plenty, no doubt. I would like to explore this thought; the differences between the years and the things that stayed the same.

Well, now you know where babies come from…

It is safe to say that many ‘innocents’ were lost along the way. Is it fair to say that we are growing increasingly corrupt? Or are we ever more enlightened? Take for example your beliefs about love at present and the way you envisioned it with a younger heart. Alot has definitely changed there. You may see money, status, appearances and culture as definitive allowances for a successful loving relationship. Back then, it was sharing your snacks at recess. Ah, the good old days, before the ‘reality check’ called maturity. Whether we would like to admit it or not, we are more diluted in our convictions about love and other great things because of the world we live in. Getting burned physically and emotionally leaves scar tissue which is naturally more difficult to penetrate. Maybe its a self defence mechanism. But once upon a time your skin was soft and it really felt things with abandon.

Ever seen a kid play in the snow? They sure love it; and we curse the heavens for the extra annoyance. It used to be a treat to go outside and play in every element including the cold, but now our preference is to retreat into our arbitrary protective coops. Don’t stay cooped up! Let that inner child go! Get a sled or magic carpet and give it a go on the nearest slope. You will be thrilled by the rush you recognize from your schoolyard days. That awesome rush came from the leap into a risky scenario where outside elements were not under your control, but coexisted with you and your will to take it all in. What a way to live!

I am not asking you to jump into everything and anything, but if you’re not satisfied with your daily routine, it just might feel good to take a detour from the safe track and feel new again. That feeling of larger-than-life and those early curiosities come back in a delightful way when you drop your assumptions about pretty much everything. By assuming you keep yourself from experiencing life’s pleasures and pitfalls firsthand. No one remembers the office Joe. But that kid who jumped into the lake first? Somehow, they are more fresh in your mind. Fresh is the operative word here. Keep it fresh my friends. Take the wisdom of your years and learn that you gained it from the experiences you never foresaw. It is then that life is most valuable, be it good or bad, you are the better; the more lived.

The similarities between your adult self and your grade school alter ego is in the sensations you feel when caught in the unknown. Do you recall your feelings of sorrow when you saw your first homeless person? And now, you barely notice their presence. Let them be a reminder to feel, for the human condition, for the state of the world and for feeling’s sake itself. Practice seeing the world with rawness and vivid appreciation by asking yourself again why you feel the way you do about this and that. And maybe that coworker you despise won’t seem so despicable anymore. If you don’t like something take another shot at understanding it. Let every year you live make for a more dynamic, interesting and better you.

Don’t be numbed over time, but more open to learning new things about yourself and your world…like a child.