Childish ways

Children seem to stay firmly attached to the here and now, particularly young children. It’s a skill that you lose as you get older. Children don’t seem to worry about tomorrow or get lost in thoughts of yesterday. All that matters is the moment of time they currently exist in.

I read self-help books and use oracle cards – whose advice often encourage you to find ways to live in the moment a little more. Not in a self-obsessed, who cares about the consequences manner but in a life-affirming way - a way that ensures that you really connect with each moment. They also promote the idea of connecting with your inner-child - the theory that our childlike sense of wonder is slowly covered up by layers of adulthood. They say that it’s important to experience the world once again, from a childlike perspective. So, in light of this, I took a 10 minute break from my essay today – not to mess around on Facebook or watch television but instead I went outside and threw a tennis ball against the wall and caught it again for a while, just like I did when I was a child.

I recall that I spent many happy hours in my youth, throwing a ball against the wall and catching it. So today, I made sure I was away from the neighbour’s field of vision – they would have found the sight of a woman wearing mismatched scruffy clothes, joyously playing catch on her own somewhat alarming. Then I happily threw, I merrily caught, I clumsily dropped and I really enjoyed myself.

Whether you’re for or against advice given via New Age paradigms - the next time you feel that life is just a little too serious and your responsibilities seem to ebb away at your sense of fun, go out and play catch. I promise that you’ll enjoy it.

xx