Childhood

Someone emailed me this image today:

This simple picture evokes all of my feelings of nostalgia for childhood. I may have never dove headfirst into a pile of leaves from so far up in the air, but what I miss about being young is being completely carefree. I miss playing. I still have fun and "play" in my grown up way, but with bills to pay and work to do, I don't think I've had the complete carefree joy that this little boy exhibits in this one simple act of childhood fun. This picture also makes me want to work in an elementary school or have some kids of my own so that I can watch as they discover life and delight in all that we adults take for granted. Raking leaves is now a chore instead of a chance for fun. Even though the fall means kids are back to school, they still play as hard as (or harder than) they work. I wish I could still say that I play as much as I work, but those days where fun mattered most and responsibility was minimal have drastically diminished as I've aged. So I fantasize about working with young children in a preschool or elementary school because I long to be surrounded by that kind of freedom again even I'm only living it vicariously.

Posted by Kim at February 17, 2006 12:09 PM