Remember when you were a kid? Back when the biggest worry was getting the swing set first, and getting gold stars. The simple days as I like to call them. I'm sure, by now, you are also missing those days, but here is the thing: those days are not gone. Not really.
My father recently got back from Burning Man, and he shared an inspirational photo of a sculpture of two adults sitting back to back, while inside there were small children reaching out to each other. It got me thinking, why do we live like that? I mean we do that to ourselves. We choose to shut out the inner child and force ourselves to be this image of an adult. We think that being an adult requires us to only live in a world of work and bills, but life is so much more than just that.
My parents have done a wonderful job at showing me what there is in life, what adventures I can choose to have, and while I think that without their examples I would be worse off, I still find myself succumbing to the societal pressure to be a perfect adult.
I have realized, lately, the only way I can find peace in my day to day life, is to open back up to that inner child. I need to go back to the days of smiling at strangers, enjoying silly games, and not being afraid to have fun. I need to give up the fear of seeming foolish or immature, because frankly the opinions of those who are not close to me, don't matter.
When I was a kid I had a wild imagination. I was outgoing and bright. I had a laughter that could fill a room. Even though, as you get older, life gets harder, you don't have to force yourself to be sullen.
No matter your age you are always young at heart. I think we should all hold onto that. That is something we should be proud of. We should never close off that part of us to accommodate the expectations of other people. No one else on Earth gets to live your life. So live it with intention, passion, and courage to be who you truly are -- including that child within.
