18 May At Midlife – Not Letting Go of Your Childlike Spirit

“The child inside of you knows how to take things as they come, how to deal most effectively and happily with everything and everyone it encounters on this planet. If you can recapture that childlike essence of your being, you can stay ‘forever young at heart.’ Wayne Dyer

As we get older, do you find yourself more serious? Thinking of things as black and white and not being as lighthearted as you once were?  i was thinking about the idea of being child-like. Not immature, not oblivious to the world around me, just having certain attributes I once had as a child.

Do I still have that sense of wonder? Play? Spontaneity?

i know as adults, we have schedules, jobs, and responsibilities that make us more focused, goal minded, and serious. But when was the last time you threw “caution to the wind’ and just did something just fun and carefree? With Mother’s Day come and gone,  I thought to myself, I don’t have the excuse of having a small child to use the neighborhood swingset. But dd i need to? My husband took a picture of me about 15 years ago, swinging on my sister-in laws swing. She lives in a more rural neighborhood and had this old wooden swing hanging from a tree. When I first arrived at her house, the first thing I did was to run to this swing. ( I always did like swings!) and a sense of fun, carefree, joy was all I experienced.

I’m not writing a fairytale, but rather a thought about letting our ‘inner child’ out. Do you allow yourself enough time to explore, be creative, have fun?

I feel that we all have responsibilites, but how mundane could life be, if we don’t try and do things other than what is expected? I feel like this is a time in my life, where there is some freedom. Because of my EDS, I do not work a full time job, but am at home. I chose the blog as a means of self -expression and creativity, so what else will I do? Being childlike in spirit does not mean we are childish, it is a desire to for a sense of freedom, fun and joy.. just letting go.

Told you I like swings ! 🙂

How do you show your childlike spirit?

• I love to dance. Nothing too wild, but just picking up my pup to dance to “Fly Me to the Moon’ is something I do 🙂 Try it sometime! just put on some music in your house and dance! No one is seeing you or judging your dance style, purely for fun!
• I used to draw, but recently the “adult coloring book” was quite the thing a year or so ago. I have some colored pencils I use with the book- Butterflies and Flowers . I find it very relaxing. There are many out there, animals, places, whatever your interest.
• Explore. My hubby and I love to camp and walk in the woods. We recently discovered some wooded trails near us, that is not busy, and we enjoy exploring the area, listening for deer, and noting the trees that are quite old in the area.
• Sing- I am usually singing something every day. I have fun making up songs about my puppies, or improvizing on a jazz tune. I have always enjoyed singing. Try playing your favorite music and just sing along- This isn’t American Idol! :-

I always think life is too short to be serious all of the time. Have fun! play, enjoy it.

What are the ways you show your childlike spirit?

I love hearing from you in the comments. Thank you!

Have a great weekend!

Jess xo

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