Be Childish

I think kids can add a dimension to life that we don't have, otherwise. A vision and playfulness that we lose because of the seriousness of adulthood. Like Supertramp sang in the Logical Song: "But then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible, logical, responsible, practical, and they showed me a world where I could be so dependable, clinical, intellectual, cynical... "

So we lose all our magic, our joy. We 'stop acting like a child' (I'm hearing the line from Hook in which a nervous Robin Williams, so in thrall with his own fear of flying, tells his son to do just that and the little boy shrugs, baseball in hand, and replies "But I am a child"). We throw out the baby with the bathwater. Yes, we need to grow up and be responsible and all those other attributes, but we need to keep our sense of wonder, a little bit of our right brain active, to balance all that seriousness. That's what great artists and comedians do. They see things literally, and then show us what they see.

Look for yourself, don't passively wait for another person's vision to entertain you. You can learn to see it too, if you just look. See what Is, unfiltered by the perceptions of the world around you. Is it scary sometimes? Yes. And sometimes we should be scared, because it's the only way we'll make effective changes. Is it hilariously ridiculous? Often. Can you always laugh out loud? Not unless you like getting beat up! But you can use your adult control to keep your inner child safely entertained, which is going to make your outer grown-up a much happier and more balanced person. You may be able to cut back on your Prozac, too.

It makes me sad to see parents, as well as other adults, that are so caught up in themselves and their own priorities that they lose their sense of playfulness, and become impatient with their children. Yes, kids need to learn not to interrupt, but so do parents. They're really losing out. So are their kids. Kids are great for reminding us how ridiculous we and the things we take for granted every day are... whether we're eating 'green balls'(peas) or 'little trees' (my nephew's code for broccoli).

Be a child today. Play catch. Pretend. Be silly. It's fun. Remember fun?