I was thinking of the sweet, innocent happiness of little ones, and it contrasted with the pressured seriousness of adulthood. It made me wonder - what happens to cause that transition? Where does that lovely, light temperament go? Is it something to do with the way we school them? Parent them? Is it hormonal? Is it something to do with what we expect as a society?
Perhaps they all come into play. But I noticed a couple of things as I read that might help us get some of that innocent joy back into our adulthood. One is that children have not learned to expect things to be a particular way. They just accept what is, and live in the moment. Maybe if we can let go of some of our expectations of what things should be, and just find contentment with what is, we could regain some of that lost joy.
And then there was this one - children know how to get lost in play. As adults we see this as frivolous time, cutting into our list of responsibilities to manage, or goals to achieve. What if we could allow ourselves to play again here and there? To let go of the lists and really enjoy the freedom of being lost in moments of guileless pleasure. Without letting that sense of responsibility weigh them down. Maybe we could regain some of the innocent happiness we see in those little ones we adore.
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