on never growing up … (01/05/12)
Sometimes children remind us of facts we have long since forgotten:
“No matter how hard you try, you can’t baptize cats.” ~ unknown child
… and sometimes they remind us of Truths we need to remember:
“Love is foolish…but we still need to try it sometimes.” ~ Floyd (age 9)
…
When I am around children, I am reminded that, even though growing old is eventually required of us all, “growing up” is optional. We can choose to remain “young at heart” and revel in the times we have been given — and this, no matter how “old” we are.
And yet this fact is not enough for me.
There is an even deeper Wisdom I’d like to share: that to avoid “growing up”, it is not enough for us laugh as children laugh (though whole-hearted laughter is indeed a very good thing), nor is it enough for us to live as children live (though having fun is also a fine way to appreciate life).
No, to truly avoid “growing up”, to truly avoid eventually becoming jaded and brittle and tired and bored, it is necessary for us to also remember how it feels to Love like children Love … that all-out, soaked-in-the-moment, no-holds-barred, completely selfless, don’t-care-at-all-what-anyone-else-thinks-or-says, never-ever-quit-on-you-or-leave-you LOVE.
You see, to Love like this is what it means to “become again as a child” …
to Love like this is what it means to remain “forever young” …
to Love like this is what it means to be truly Happy.
;