1. It’s fun to meet new people.
Now that I am an adult, the thought of meeting new people is sometimes accompanied with sweaty palms and anxiety. It is easy to wonder if you will fit in, if others will judge you, or if you will be stuck in a social situation that will be hard to get out of when you would rather be watching Netflix. As a child, most of us don’t give much thought to meeting new people. We just meet them without stressing about it beforehand and the world keeps on turning.
2. It can be fun to play pretend.
After entering adulthood, we get a real sense of who we are as people, which is fantastic. What isn’t great though, is being rigid in those beliefs. For example, I am many things, a photographer, a writer, a singer, a public speaker…but I am not a painter. It is something I have always wished I was good at but I am pretty bad. This doesn’t stop me from pretending that I can paint every once in a while. When I was a child, I had an easel that I would use almost daily to paint horrible nonsense that my mother would still put on the fridge. Now, most of my finished art never sees the light of day but it is still so fun and therapeutic to break out the paintbrushes every so often and pretend that I know what I am doing.
3. Honesty is the best policy.
Adults lie about everything. How they feel about you, why they cancelled those plans last minute, what they really think about your new significant other…the list goes on and on. I am not saying we should constantly be brutally honest and unkind but there is a lot to be said for the honesty that comes along with being a child. A child would never cancel last minute with a fake excuse because they would simply explain from the moment you ask that they are not really interested in the activity that you are doing but maybe you two can color later or play with legos since you both like that.
4. Be proud of yourself.
As a child, I celebrated every good grade, every small award, and every successfully completed puzzle. As an adult, I sometimes find it hard to celebrate my successes because I either don’t want to make a big deal about them in front of others or I am too focused on my next project. It is important in life to take some time to celebrate and it is always important to be proud of yourself and your accomplishments.
5. Sometimes, friendships can be simple.
Let’s face it; adults complicate the concept of friendship. It normally starts out simple enough but it can end up being more complex than Chinese algebra. Adults often stay in unhealthy friendships for way too long because they are afraid of making new friends or just afraid to let go of the past. Children hang out with people who are nice to them and have the same interests as them. It is normally as simple as that when it comes to kids.
6. Learning is fun.
Remember when you jumped up and down filled with excitement at the thought of learning something new? If you are a regular reader of this blog, chances are you are creative and innovative so you probably still love learning. However, I’m sure there are subjects you still want to avoid. Most young children are excited for every part of their school day. The idea of learning something completely new is exciting to them, rather than daunting, like it can be to many adults.
7. Naps are awesome.
I know that saying children enjoy their entire day at school makes you want to yell out, “Yeah, because they take naps!” Well I hear you and I completely agree with you. As children, we took naps at school every day without much complaint (a joyous event that unfortunately many schools have stopped practicing). Sure we might fight it occasionally at home with our parents but we always gave in to the amazingness that is a nap sooner or later. As adults, we drink coffee, soda, throw water on our faces…anything to power through the day. Wouldn’t it just be easier to take a twenty-minute siesta and then get back to focusing on work?
8. Baths are awesome.
Yes, awesomeness is not just limited to naps. Children also know that baths are awesome. I remember being elated when I was finally old enough to take a shower instead of a bath every night. Now, I would love to take a bath before bed every night. Although most adults won’t be able to find the time in their schedule for a nightly bath, fitting some relaxing tub time in to your schedule once a week can do wonders for your stress level and overall health.
9. Your body is a wonderland.
As a child, you were most likely in awe over everything about your body. Children get so excited over finding out that they have belly buttons that they will spend months informing and showing everyone they meet. Your body is still the amazing, complex, beautiful wonderland that it was when you were a kid. In fact, your body deserves even more love and appreciation because it definitely works harder now than it did back then. Appreciate the unique body that you have and all the amazing things that it helps you do on a daily basis.
10. Sometimes you need color outside the lines.
Sometimes adults forget how truly amazing life is and they begin to exist instead of LIVE. This is when you need to remember that it can be a good idea to color outside the lines. Stop worrying about what you think society wants you do and follow through with your own version of a good life. It doesn’t matter if it is not the textbook definition of normal and acceptable. Color your life your own unique way.
