Take a Walk on the Child Side

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As of a few months ago, I turned twenty-three years old. And even though this age still makes me (relatively) a very young person, I have also left my childhood behind. I work, am financially and emotionally independent, and like to think I contribute in some way to society. However, even though my days of not paying my own bills are behind me, I don't completely want to ever abandon the ways of my childhood.

Children, for the most part, have no fear, no judgement, and no pretenses. They also possess a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them until they are forced to focus by school or society. And THOSE are the traits, I'm looking to keep.

When I try new things, I don't want the fear of failure to be what holds me back. For example, rock climbing has actually really helped with this. I watch the little kids go up these enormous, difficult walls like it's nothing and part of their success comes down to the fact that they aren't afraid. So I'll tell myself - if they can do it, so can I.

The other major attribute has to do with wonder. I am naturally a bit of a cynic, but I would really hate to never be impressed by anything! When I travel, I want to be amazed and awed by great structures and incredible food. I see so many adults just pass things by with a "been there, done that" attitude and I NEVER want to let things pass me by.

The other part of this is the continued learning. Kids don't know anything yet, consequently, they are learning all the time. Once you become an adult, you get good at a few things and it's not necessary to learn all the time. But I'm convinced that's how your brain dies. Dramatic, I know, but if you never learn anything new, your brain can never make new connections and you won't continue to grow. It's almost like you're dying from boredom very slowly, and that sounds like the worst way to go.

As I've gotten older, I've realized that life can get more and more monotonous, but only if you let it. It's really easy to slip into a routine, get really good at that routine, and never wander outside it. I've talked about this in a different post, but doing what I just described scares the absolute shit out of me. I am TERRIFIED of becoming complacent, and I believe part of avoiding it is to preserve some so-called 'childish' traits for as long as possible. Obviously, this also works as a great excuse to sing disney songs at the top of my lungs until my dying day.