"Knock! Knock!" said my 4 year
old one day. "Who's there?" I asked with great enthusiasm.
"Cow", he replied with a sheepish grin on his adorable little round
face. And even though I'd heard this joke a million times, I had to ask,
"Cow who?" Suddenly he burst into an uncontrollable giggle as he
screeched "Cows don't say "who"...they say MOO!" That was
his favorite joke, and he told it with as much gusto that day as he had the
very first time he told it.
He was full of jokes (mostly ones that didn't make sense...because he made them up himself), and giggles, and wiggles and facts! He could tell you all about dinosaurs and whales and birds and planets and the ocean! He hung upside down on tree branches and chased after dogs and cats, jumped off of retaining walls, did cartwheels and somersaults, and climbed on everything he could possibly think of. Once when he was about 18 months old, he climbed up the handles of the drawers below the kitchen counter with his agile little toes moving at lightening speed, then quietly planted himself in the kitchen sink so he could look out the window overlooking our front yard. He had an imagination that never quit; he made forts and cars and dinosaurs and swords out of boxes and sticks and blankets, and even pieces of paper. He was full of energy and lived every minute of every day like it was his last. He was all in...at full speed...all day...every single day! I'm not going to lie; it was exhausting trying to stay one step ahead of him, but I look back on those days with a gratitude. They are memories I hold precious and dear.
Little children are amazing. Yes, they make life hectic and stressful in a lot of ways, but they have no agenda. They are curious...adults might call that being distracted. They tell it like it is...adults perceive that kind of honesty as socially unacceptable. They question with boldness...adults consider that being disrespectful. And best of all, they're spontaneous...which in the adult world might be considered undisciplined.
But spontaneity is good for the soul. It relieves stress and increases one's ability to be present...to enjoy the small things in life that might otherwise be missed. Sometimes we are so busy planning the day, planning a project, planning a vacation...looking ahead and beyond to the distant future, that we miss out on the giggles and teaching moments, the beauty of sunrises and sunsets, the playful antics of a pet, the random heart to heart chats, or a chance to connect with a long lost friend. In 5 years or 32 years or 79 years whatever you missed out on may not matter...or it might.
Is it worth the stress of constant plotting and planning, or muddling through whatever comes your way to let the seriousness of life smother your dreams, and drown your child-like wonder of all that is fun and amazing and simple and beautiful?
Go ahead...dance in the rain, claim "your star" in the sky and tell everyone about it, cheer louder than anyone else in the room, eat cereal for dinner, swing on the swing at the park, wear weird or mismatched clothes, have a bubble gum blowing contest, draw on the sidewalk with colored chalk, laugh long and hard, watch a movie instead of doing the dishes, spend the entire day in your pajamas, eat as much chocolate as you want in one sitting, don't pay any attention to the clock for an entire day...life is short! Live in the moment. Find the joy!
I'm all in! Are you with me?
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