I did an event once where I spoke to a large group of teenage girls. They were at the age when they start to feel like they have to act a certain way. When they start to believe they’re too cool for childish antics, and they’re all trying to act older than they are.
I had the girls circle around me outside in an open grass field. 200 meters long, 100 meters wide of lush green meadows. The sun shined brightly, leaving tiny specs of sweat upon each girls brow. From the eyes of a child, this would be heaven. “There’s so much room for activities!” as expressed by Will Ferrell in the film Step Brothers. They stared at me with unimpressed, bored gazes.
The day was about being active, feeling strong, and having fun while doing it. The activity that was previously planned for them, a rigid running exercise, added to their unwillingness to engage. So, in a spontaneous whim, I switched it up.
“Who likes playing tag? Am I the only child here?….We’re playing freeze tag!” I said.
The girls exchanged nervous looks at first until one girl shot her hand up and said, “I like tag.” I screamed that I was ‘it’ and chose the girl who looked most resistant to unfreeze everyone. She stood firm on both feet, arms crossed, and a single eyebrow raised, “Uh uh, don’t choose me.” But everyone was already running, leaving her without a choice but to participate. By the end everyone was volunteering to be the unfreezer. Everyone was sweating, everyone was smiling, and everyone was a child just for a moment.
Everywhere I go I try to see the world as my playground. Seeking adventure in every experience makes life exciting! I urge you not to forget the child in you. Do not get too caught up in the tasks of adult life. Do not shy away from an opportunity to be silly or look foolish. Give yourself the freedom to ‘BE‘ in the moment unburdened by expectations or fear of judgment. Play!
George Bernard Shaw stated that “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” I’ve never seen a truer quote. Not only does your body slowly deteriorate, so does your mind. Continue to PLAY. Keep imagining. Keep dreaming!
“It is a happy talent to know how to play.” Ralph Waldo Emerson said. A happy talent indeed.
Tori F Baby
#LiveHappii
Wow! This is something that I have been reflecting on a lot lately. How to get out of this trap called “adulthood” and to be a Kid again. I am currently on the bus surrounded by 16 children, their joy and laughter and presence in the moment is so inspiring. Great read!