I am a kid at heart. My fun-loving, adventurous spirit still resides within. My desire for knowledge and understanding is as strong today as it was in junior school. My creative mind never switches off, and I still enjoy many childhood pursuits as an adult whilst seeking out new experiences to pursue. It’s these traits within my personality that keep my spirits high. This outlook often pushes me to succeed. These traits are buried in my foundation to pick me up quickly when life knocks me down. Previous childhood experiences offer me comfort and ignites hope in a grey world when often it seems there is none.
Yes, it’s true I long to be that innocent child again (don’t we all?) lost in the adventures of my own fantasy world. That pre-teen growing up in the 1970’s and 1980’s who knew nothing of the dangers of the real world. However, once you cross that bridge into the adult world there is no turning back, but the pressures of adult life does not have to stop you being the person you are inside, just so long as you get the childhood/adulthood balance right.
I am a fun-loving individual and I like to make light of situations; you could say it’s a coping strategy, or it’s a sign of not wanting to be oppressed or tainted by the world and the people which surround me. If all you ever hear is negativity around you, then no matter how much you fight it, you too will eventually be consumed by it too. It’s inevitable. It is in these situations that in order to stay true to myself I seek comfort in the simplistic of things that make me happy and banish life’s harsh realities from my own mindset so that I do not become as jaded as others. As a child, I was not aware of negativity. I had loving people around me who encouraged me to be the person I was by indulging my interests and passions.
Just this moment , I received some football shirts through the post. This made me happy. It’s nothing grand or lifechanging, but it does not need to be. The sun shining on the patio is also bringing a smile to my face right now as I type, and yet I know a storm is forecast with several days of continual rain about to descend upon us. I can’t change that. Therefore, there is no need to feel down about it. I could spend the rest of the day stressing about how much the repairs on my car are going to cost or be in a bad mood because my football team lost last night, but again, I have no control over these outcomes, so I focus on my creative outlets and on the things that make me happy. Some people scoff that I do not live in the real world. I do live in the real world I just tailor the real world to suit my own needs in order to stay happy and focussed.
A few days ago, I returned from Walt Disney World, the most magical playground for all adults who are kids at heart. Whilst wandering around the theme parks, I noticed many adults dressed in fancy dress, groups, and individuals. I puzzled why to begin with, but just because I am someone who does not play dress up, it does not mean we should ridicule those that do. At one point, I stood next to an entire family of Flintstones, which was an unexpected sight amongst all the Halloween themed costumes I had previously encountered. However, as long as once the Flintstone family left the park, they did not go home and feed their children rocks instead of real food, and dressing in character makes them happy, then that’s OK. Imagine being part of a family who constantly dresses up in costume, and it’s not your thing, I guess that could be pretty traumatising for some children.
Walt Disney World is a safe haven for adults to release their inner child, seek thrills from the rides, meet people dressed up in character costumes, eat and drink crazy foods they normally wouldn’t, whilst packing all their adult dilemmas into a box for a day, and enjoying that freedom and childlike fun that Disney provides, albeit for a hefty price.
Connecting with your own inner child though doesn’t not have to incur any expense. Water and theme parks are options for high thrill activities, however observing the beauty of nature, playing board games with children, interacting with animals, or watching TV programmes or movies from your childhood can still evoke the same response, spark the magic, rekindle that joy, often without any price tag.
I personally don’t believe anyone of us lose that sense of our inner child it’s just that it lays more dormant in some, as they cross that bridge and adopt a serious persona, because that is what society expects of them. It does us no harm to tap into inner child mode now and again. There does need to be a balance though, staying home all day to play retro video games instead of going out to work to pay the bills and provide money for the family is not acceptable, however when time is your own you should spend it enjoying pursuits that make you happy, childlike, or not.
There is no rule that says you can not be that adult who collects cuddly toys, comic books or action figures. An adult that plays video games from yesteryear or loves online gaming. An adult who seeks comfort in the music of their childhood still supports the same football team and refuses to dress in anything other than t-shirt, jeans, and trainers. It’s OK for adults to eat jam on their toast or eat banana or fishfinger sandwiches at home. There is definitely no rule that states adults shouldn’t love visiting theme parks and zoos with or without kids in tow.
Being a kid at heart is all about enjoying the fun, innocent things in life that make you feel good, keep you smiling, and bring joy to your heart. That desire to stay young is more often than not attached to childhood memories and experiences which we never want to end, I know it is for me, and just because you are all grown up it does not mean any of these fun experiences have to end, and it’s OK to regress and revisit them.
Never be afraid to be the person you want to be, with or without a mask or character suit. Be the adult when you need to, but life can be so serious, so don’t forget to take time out to have fun and share it with others.
Thanks for reading.
Caz