As a child, I remember sitting in the car on the way home from dance class, watching the rain drops slide across my window. I imagined that the large drops were the momma fish and the small drops were the little baby fish. I marveled at how the momma fish would swallow the baby fish up, magically transforming into the big papa fish. I would watch this same transaction take place numerous times, never tiring of such a silly imagining. Yet in the eyes of a child, the simplest things bring the most joy.
About a year ago, I received a letter from a mentor of mine. To this day, I treasure his final statement: "Don't forget to play in the mud every once in a while." When I first read it, I didn't quite understand what he was getting at. Play in the mud? Isn't that something little kids do? Kids that don't have to worry about the grown-up things like school and work and money and relationships? But then it dawned on me. He didn't mean play in the mud in the literal sense. What he wanted was for me to recall what it was like to be a child, to enjoy the simple things in life. He wanted me to see fish in the form of raindrops, shapes in the form of clouds, life through the eyes of a child.
Today I would like to invite you to be young at heart. Do something that reminds you of your childhood, whether it be playing a game or recalling a silly imagining. See the world through the eyes of a child: take in all those vibrant colors and rich smells and funny feelings. Laugh like a child, show off your toothy grin. Call up mom and dad and tell them how much you love them. Read your favorite fairy tale. Watch one of those old cartoons that used to play on TV. Color or paint a picture with all the colors of the rainbow. Cuddle with a furry friend. Wear footie pajamas and drink hot cocoa. Have a tea party with your dollies. Go crazy! Do what a child would do, and enjoy the simple joys of life.
"May your love of life be the enchantment that turns insignificant things into joys."
Excerpt from "I Wish For You" by Lance Wubbels
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