Childlike wonder can…

The older I get, the more playful I get.

Not like dressing Barbies or playing with plastic farm animals under the holly tree when I was little, but with my thoughts, decisions, even convictions.

As a grown-up, I find myself reaching to make decisions quickly and with certainty, as if it’s required. And let’s be honest, there are times when we do need to act swiftly.

But how often do we make a decision based on what other people will think, what I should do, what will work for everybody else?

 

I was invited to a private showing of Practical Magic 2 by a couple who had become friends through Facebook. My husband had to cancel at the last minute. We both assumed it was an evening event, and the day before, we realized it was a midafternoon event and he had to work.

I had lost the event page and couldn’t find it, so I wasn’t getting any of the updates.

It was never even a consideration that I wouldn’t attend.

The invite suggested witchy dress, and following my love of hippy, witchy, flowy, funky, my closet had many options—from an everyday witch’s hat to fun witchy-like boots that laced up, paired with new raven socks gifted by a friend from London.

There was never a hesitation in my day, even though I would be with over a dozen people I had never met.

They turned out!

You had the subtle kitchen witch who let her energy introduce her, all the way to full-glam pointed hat, lashes-for-days, striped-socks, flowy-dress witch who was as delightful as could be.

 

This childlike wonder carried all the way through to my mammogram on Monday.

Miriam, my boob handler lol, asked how my weekend was, and I blurted out, “My funnest part of the weekend…” and instantly laughed and said, “Funnest—not even a real word. I guess I’ll add it to the rest of my uniquely crafted vocabulary.”

I noticed a pause in her energy.

It caught her.

The playfulness and absence of expected pretense or performance. I was all there and allowed words to fly from my mouth with exuberance rather than tempering them.

I wasn’t being childlike. I was retelling my weekend through childlike wonder—what a delightful experience I’d had with full expression.

She started proclaiming her own freedom not to give a shit and just let herself be. You could feel the expansion in the space while my ta-tas were being squeezed like a pancake.

Quite the contradiction. (Link back to last week’s article: Contradiction.) lol

 

Life can be very serious. And for the better part of our adulting, we have acted the role—but we don’t have to be serious about all of it.

What if we stopped acting and started being a fuller expression of what delights us, got more curious about what intrigues us, and allowed ourselves to be wrongable?

See what I did there?

What would childlike wonder look like for you?

For example, think of something you’re dreading or something intimidating you’re considering. How might a child consider the possibilities?

Perhaps an “I don’t have to” might apply.

Oh, the brattiness is a must, and don’t forget to cross your arms over your chest and stamp your foot.

You don’t have to think, do, or be anything.

This is an invitation to use your childlike wonder again—in your most mundane chores, thoughts, habits. See what catches the light.

No witch ensemble required, but if ever there was a time…