Do you remember your life at six years old?
You might picture yourself sitting behind a desk on your first day of kindergarten. This could be the day you muttered a nervous “hi” or boisterous “hello!” to the boy or girl sitting next to you, forging a life-long friendship.
You might picture yourself at your grandparent’s house playing with the old toys stowed away in the basement, at which age you may have been to naïve to know they contained precious memories that were purposefully hidden away. Yet, you were not afraid to wonder and ask of its purpose and to whom it belonged.
You might picture yourself playing outside with the neighborhood kids. Running and jumping. Laughing and cheering. Your abundance of energy fueled your feet to move, only to stop at the familiar call for dinner from your parents. You exchanged your goodbyes, promising to see your friends again the next day for more hours filled with adventure.
At six years old we had it all figured out. We knew who our best friends were without the pressures and cliques that later years would introduce. We wondered without reason or restriction and were never afraid to ask “why?” or “why not?”. We played and did what made us un-doubtfully happy. We were simply and truly ourselves.
Time passed. Days into weeks. And weeks into years.
Today, look in the mirror and you can see the toll that life has taken upon us.
Some of us are afraid to speak freely. Our mouths are tapped shut by the fear of having a different opinion. But there is not right or wrong. Some of us are afraid to be happy. We put aside our dreams for something as meaningless as numbers printed on paper. And for what? To make more money to be miserable? Some of us are trapped by our anxieties, the pressures and expectations to fit in and be like everyone else. But that is what made us so special when we were younger. We stood out because there was something unique about us, something that stood out to our kindergarten friends that made them choose us as friends to begin with.
Others are living without fear, worry and strain. They look back on their youth and smile because to them all those years were worth it. They know who they were at six years old and know there isn't much difference between then and now. If we can recapture the spirit of our youth, we can be happier, better people.
When you see the little six-year-old self in your reflection, do you smile back silently acknowledging the years passed without regret? Or is there something you need to change?
