Embracing Our Inner Child…

Have you ever watched a young child at play…or listened while they tried to explain something from their point of view?

There is a sweetness, honesty and purity about these tiny humans that I find incredibly precious.

One of their most beautiful qualities, is how they see the possibility in pretty much everything. Their natural sense of curiosity, love for themselves (and others), and the wide eyed wonder they have about the world around them is so incredibly refreshing.

Children also have what I call a built in “fun factor”. They laugh easily and often. You can place them virtually anywhere and their sense of play quickly comes alive. Plunk them in a sand box with a pail and shovel…they will spend hours entertaining themselves.  Give them a box of colored pencils and paper…they will get lost in creation. 

Little kids have beautiful, vast imaginations they aren’t afraid to use and share…they love being silly and can make an adventure out of a towel, a crayon or a mud puddle.

So when was the last time you approached your adult life this way?  When was the last time you unleashed a bit of the fun factor and let your inner child out to sort through some of your problems?

As adults we don’t always stay connected to or embrace this very important part of ourselves that lives and breathes…often it gets buried under a few layers of commitments or stress.

Try and take yourself back for a moment…I’m talking about WAY back to a time before you heard words like “no” or “don’t be silly”! A time before you went out into the world experiencing responsibility or disappointment.  Think of a time when you weren’t afraid to just try something (anything) without ever worrying about the outcome…where your focus wasn’t on whether it would succeed or fail?

Now I’m not suggesting we take off from work to spend our lunch hour sitting in the sandbox at our local park…and I’m pretty confident I’d get the “crazy lady” reputation rather quickly if I kissed myself in the mirror of a crowded elevator in my office building (though I had a great laugh visualizing that).

I just think we need to reconnect and remember the lighthearted, uncomplicated little kid we once were, and perhaps try to slip a bit more fun and laughter into our daily, responsibility driven adult lives.

Some days I watch my husband and see how he is completely in touch with his inner child,  He has no problem unleashing his fun factor quite regularly.  This creates great entertainment both for him and those around him.  He is often this way in our every day life and I realize I don’t appreciate that quality in him often enough.

Children are a gentle reminder of the importance in lightening up and getting back to basics.  Maybe the next time we need a little life or relationship advise, we should sit in a circle and talk to a kindergarten class. Something tells me they would have our issues simplified and all our problems solved in no time.

For today friends…this is The World As Eye See It