To be a kid again
Ohh, to be a kid again. Being a kid means so much. Things like riding a bike, playing kickball in the street, or tag with friends all come to mind. But what I remember most importantly is, no worrying.
Childhood
As a kid, being back to your parent’s house by the time the street lights went off was probably your biggest worry. My girlfriend and I were recently discussing how much we would love to go back to our childhoods. Running after the ice cream truck, swinging at the playground, and playing board games, are just some of the fondest memories we have as children. As we talked about our memories in youth, we got lost.
As we ended up going down memory lane, we landed in the proverbial black hole. For the next 20 minutes, nostalgia set in. From tamagotchi, pokemon, hit clips, to the scholastic book fair in elementary school, we went in a time machine back to the 90’s and laughed about, but also yearned for, the simplicity of those times. You know, back when we blew dandelions and thought our wishes would come true. Because as children, we had a unique blend of what makes children so special, belief, and no worries in the world.
No worries
Hakuna Matata. It’s a phrase stemming from another historical 90’s reference, the movie Lion King. It means “no worries for the rest of your days.” Yet, as we grow older, we all know what comes with age, responsibilities. Do you ever look at your calendar and see all of the tasks you have to do in one week? All the bills you have to pay. All the chores you have to complete. All the work at your job, not to mention school work if you’re in school, that needs finishing. It’s exhausting.
The lives we lead daily are often so hectic; they run us into the ground. Leaving us to feel lethargic and a yearning for the “good old days.” Like when your most significant responsibility was making sure you swept the driveway. Ahh, what simple times. Typically, when I think about my childhood compared to adulthood, I focus on what my parents always told me:
“Enjoy your childhood as much as possible. Because as much as you want to be older right now, one day, you’ll wish you were a kid again.”
Parental wisdom
It’s the timeless piece of advice our parents try to pass down to us from former generations. Our grandparents told our parents, our great grandparents told our grandparents, and so on. However, there’s one thing in common with every subsequent generation; they never listen. Ohh, how I wish I listened. On many occasions, I remember my Mom and Dad telling me, nearly inciting me to enjoy my time as a child. Because what did we always do as children? We wished we were older.
Why? Why did we wish we were older as children? Perhaps it was because our older sibling had a cell phone, and we wanted one too. Or maybe it was that older kids always seemed “cooler” because they could do more. Like stay up later, go out with friends by themselves, or were entrusted with more responsibility based acts, such as helping Grandpa drive the car. You always hear the phrases, “when I grow up” or “when I am an adult” from children. Usually, because they believe once they reach a specific age, he or she can do whatever they want, right?
While this is true to an extent, there are consequences for decisions made, no matter the age of an individual. The irony is that it’s something we don’t fully realize until we are adults. When we are children and see adults doing whatever they want, we rarely get to view the consequences of said actions because our parents or other forces shield us. But sooner or later, we find out the ultimate truth. Don’t get me wrong; adulthood has its pros. But how sweet it would be to be a kid again. No cares, no worries in the world—just you, your friends, your hobbies, and the simplistic times that exist.
Those times often lead me to try and apply a level of simplicity in my current, fast-paced, adult life. There are so many things to remember, take care of, and produce as an adult in comparison to when I was a child. But one thing we can take with us from our childhood and attempt to implement into adulthood is this carefree, no worry, laid back mindset. Of course, being an adult requires an amount of inherent worrying. Yet, if more of us tried to live simply, without incessantly worrying as we did as children, the world would surely be a better place. If one thing is for sure, it’s that living simpler will allow you to see what matters most in this life.
