The world would be a better place if we all acted like children. That is without the tantrums, no on second thought, maybe sporadic tantrums are necessary. Think about how much you keep bottled up. It’s not helping you, in fact, all of that pent up frustration is only facilitating stress, wrinkles, grey hair, and the all-too-common IBS. I think we could all benefit from occasional exaggerated stomp-your-feet outbursts.
Tantrums aside, anyone who spends time with kids can tell you that you learn just as much from them as they do from you.
I love Paulo Coelho’s quote about children from The Fifth Mountain which says, “A child can always teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to
demand with all his might that which he desires.”
Yesterday, without saying anything, a little girl demonstrated to me how leisurely simple it is to be happy for no reason. I was at
a coffee shop after work (yes I drink coffee after work), and as I walked through the doors I saw a silhouette dancing on the wall.
It was from a little girl who was standing on a coffee table, her shadow created by a window frame of light from the setting sun. She was spinning around, posing, and fantastically amused by her dancing silhouette. It was one of those moments when you say, this is why you should carry a camera at all times! Perfection.
So, where do our dancing silhouettes go? Personally, I think our little kid selves become muffled by years of education, rules, ponderings, and experiences which morph together, developing what we call a “comfort zone.” Little kids don’t really seem to have comfort zones. Maybe that’s really what “little kid innocence” is: a void of this imaginary and unnecessary zone of safety and security.
Your mission: try to do one thing today outside of your comfort zone. Who knows you might be so inspired that you find yourself dancing in the middle of a coffee shop.
