Monday, September 27, 2010

when i grow up..















I recently came across a box of old memorabilia that my mom kept from my childhood. I have been enjoying sorting through the weathered pages and crayon drawings, reading through my old journals, remembering the things I used to think about, the things that I valued, and recalling how I spent my time. Between the misspellings and grammatical errors, I have found simple insights to life, things that have slipped through the cracks in more recent years.

I have heard it said that there are hidden treasures to be found in our inner child (the little voice inside that tends to get muffled, or forgotten completely over time if we don't tend to it), answers to questions we ponder in the present, guidance from the pure, unadulterated being within. I have also heard it said that we spend the first half of our lives covering up who we are on our journey to fit into the world, and spend the second half trying to uncover ourselves, and reconnect to our true nature.

I happened upon this piece I wrote at age seven, about what makes a good friend. (verbatim)

"One of the traits that make a good freind ar that they ar hellpfull and consiterit. For egxample if i had a larg brik to carry and Nicole came and hellped me with it that would be consiterit. and a nother thing that i like about have ing a freind is if they are trothfull and have ing someone to hangaround with. for a nother egxample if i had know one to hang around with i would be pritty bourd. and if know one tould the truth i would not like that at all. the end."

So there it is folks. Spoken like a true seven year old, and still applicable today. Hellpfullness, consiteration, trothfullness, and companionship that makes life fun and wards off bourdom, are key components of friendship. As simple and elementary as it may seem, it's a good reminder to myself, a standard for the quality of people I'd like to hangaround with in life. Somewhere along the line, it is easy to lose sight of these simplicities in thought, the basic elements that help us maintain a nourishing and rewarding life.

There is a lot to be learned from children, even the ones within us. Remembering the things we valued in our youth, before our conditioning, I think can be key in helping to find our purpose today and guiding us to live a life of fulfillment. After all, we're just big kids.

I remember my Mom used to say to me when I was a young, "I wanna be just like you when I grow up." At the time I thought it silly. Now I can relate.

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