Setting the Child Free . . .

Inside all of us, no matter how young or old we may be, there lurks a child. We may have forgotten about him but he's there ~ the reminder of how we once were.

When we were children, we looked at life through wondrous eyes. Everything aroused our curiosity, we asked endless questions, we learned. But, more than that, we experienced true joy. Listen to the laughter of a young child ~ it comes from deep inside and infects everyone within hearing distance. You can't help but at least smile when you hear that joyful, abandoned glee! Even the most jaded among us reacts to a child's laughter.

And, what causes this joyous sound? Almost anything . . . puppy kisses, flying high in a swing, swooping down a slide, a dripping chocolate ice cream cone, and a special mommy or daddy touch. Children don't know about inhibition ~ at least not until we teach them. They fully express whatever they feel ~ their joy, their sorrow, their anger and their frustration.

Unfortunately, as we help them learn to express negative emotions appropriately, we also teach them to rein in their expressions of joy. I suppose it's a natural, unwanted side effect but it happens none-the-less. And, as we grow older, we lose much of that unbridled enthusiasm that makes childhood such a wonderful time.

However, that doesn't mean we can't reincarnate it! If we set aside the jaded views we've adopted over the years and really pay attention to all the miracles that surround us each day; if we let the child out of our souls and let him lead us ~ we will again feel the wonder and excitement the world offers us. We will again react spontaneously to the beauty of a butterfly, the peace of a rippling brook, the security of strong arms that enfold us, and the love that surrounds us.

We can learn to play again, to forget, just for a moment, all the challenges that confront us and let ourselves have fun ~ feeling nothing but the delight of the moment. Can you imagine how wonderful it would feel, how restorative it would be? Imagine how it would feel to fall on the blanketed ground and make snow angels, to cover yourself in autumn leaves or to splash in springtime puddles . . . maybe even to go skinny dipping in a remote stream. Silly? Of course! Isn't that the attraction?

Now and then we need to set aside adult preoccupations and return to the carefree mindset of a child. If you don't want to call it what it is ~ just having fun ~ consider it an exercise for improving mental health for it will surely improve our attitudes and our moods.

So c'mon! Have some fun ~ romp on the floor with your puppy, go down the slide with your child, lay on the grass and find pictures in the clouds, play in the sprinkler, chase your wife or husband with the hose . . . be a child for just a little while, and . . . laugh 'til your sides hurt and tears are streaming from your eyes! Then you'll remember just how joyous life can be.