AlanandVal

Childhood is calling



Everyday a school bus turns around in the parking lot outside my office window.  In that parking lot there just happens to be a speed bump and everyday that bus comes through the parking lot, goes over the speed bump and from my office I can hear the screams and laughs from the kids on board, as if they were on an amusement ride.  Most days it makes me smile as I know A. it's almost 4:00, which means quitting time is around the corner and B. I imagine the smiling faces on that bus!  Today however, it made me think.  It's a simple speed bump, I go over it at least twice a day and never do I find any joy in it, yet day after day, they do.  How wonderful to be able to get such pleasure out of something so simple and common.  It's ironic (or maybe not) that today's Tiny Buddha post was on the subject of childhood as well and I have to share:


Something beautiful just occurred to me.
I spend so much time stressing over my future adult achievements—a good career, a home for life, getting published, an adult relationship, possibly a kid and a large dog—that I don’t often revel in the things that 7-year old me would have been stoked about.
How many of us do?
I try to treat my inner child with something every week, like painting, playing with my cat or indulging in some candy – a very rare thing! But I don’t often think of achieving the dreams I had as a kid.
You know the type: ride your bike as fast as you can without coming off, climb to the top of that tree, make a mud pie that your parents would be totally happy for you to drag into the house.
Those things seem absurdly simple now, which is all the more reason to embrace and celebrate them as adults.

Around this same part of the day I found out that one of our co-workers received bad health news yesterday and suddenly everything came into perspective (don't you love it when that happens).  Enjoy the simple things in life, the things that bring happiness when you don't take things so seriously, the things that kids don't know any better than to enjoy!  When it all boils down it's really the simple things in life that matter most and joy should be a simple thing!