When youÁ¢€â„¢re young, you have the whole world in front of you. There is hope, potential, and innocence in healthy supply. Of course, most of us donÁ¢€â„¢t realize (or appreciate) this until our youth is seen only in the rearview mirror.
George Bernard Shaw may have been talking about something else entirely when he said, Á¢€Å“The joys of youth are wasted on the youngÁ¢€, but his words are no less prescient in this context.
As the sands of the hourglass fall ever so quickly and the hands of the clock spin at an ever-dizzying speed, it seems we each stop doing things that connect us to our youth.
We stop skipping when we walk.
We stop smiling at strangers.
We stop jumping on the bed.
We stop blowing on the white dandelions.
We stop believing in the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny.
We stop writing love notes that include the option Á¢€Å“yes or no, circle oneÁ¢€.
We stop hanging upside down from the monkey bars.
We stop running just for the heck of it.
We stop asking others if they want to be friends with us.
We stop wearing pajamas with feet in them.
We stop climbing trees.
We stop camping out in the backyard.
We stop waking up early on Saturday mornings to watch cartoons.
We stop taking toys out of their boxes because theyÁ¢€â„¢re worth more that way.
We stop pouring out the cereal just to get to the prize.
We stop wearing different color socks on purpose.
We stop trick or treating.
We stop flying kites.
We stop knowing all the words to every Christmas song.
We stop looking forward to our birthday.
We stop jumping into piles of freshly-raked leaves.
We stop taking field trips.
We stop playing cops and robbers.
We stop taking two-month summer vacations.
We stop having as much fun with sparklers as we used to.
We stop thinking the kid in the Mickey Mouse suit is really Mickey Mouse.
We stop trying to catch lightning bugs.
We stop getting as many toys for our birthday.
We stop spending as much time looking up at the stars at night.
We stop wearing mittens.
We stop savoring a good milk moustache.
We stop believing that anything is possible
We stop living as if each day is going to be the most amazing day EVER!
We stop dreaming big, ridiculous dreams.
Song of the day:
The Beatles-Sun King (alternate mix with organ intro)
–I picked this song today because when I hear it, I can see the ten-year-old me running around in slow motion, not a care in the world, with absolutely no idea I’d still be at square one some thirty years later.
Still dreaming big, though! :)
Hope you are, too.
Rock on,
Darren
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