The Power of Childhood

May 2019

Today, I took a walk in a strange town. Well, not strange, but a town I was visiting while I was doing some consulting work. Let’s call it an unfamiliar place. It was a perfect day for a stroll. Enough to make me ponder many things.  But by the time I was through, I mainly pondered the powerful nature and joy of being a child.

As I began my journey, I looked upon a cloud-dotted sky of icy blue. I turned a corner to see a field of dreamers open before me. A buzz of excitement filled the warm springtime air. Pure joy burst forth as all the colors of the rainbow darted to and fro.  This all painted a scene on a blue and green canvas, with sandy spots thrown in just for the fun of it. 

The cries of joy echoed through the surrounding trees with birds adding their songs to the chorus. A perfect refrain emanated, a mix of tiny voices with splashes of laughter.  From whispers to giggles to screams and shouts, riding chutes and ladders with see-saws of delight. Swinging higher than sensible, stretching the limits of chains and pipes. Dangling from heights that seem on the edge of dangerous.  With no fear at all.

Everything I saw seemed to challenge gravity, with tiny hands grasping to hold on. Parental admonishment had a trivial effect. They rarely glance up from their wooden, sideline perches. They seemed only to be in attendance to kibbitz and to wipe away the occasional tear, which quickly resets the mood. They then reengaged in their pointless discourse.

A bubbling faucet draws thirsty mouths. A veritable fountain of youth.  Each finishes quickly to run forth and perform again. On a jubilant stage of childhood fantasy. Making up new games, with new friends. Friends likely never to be seen again, after today. There may be an entirely new cast tomorrow.  But it doesn’t matter. Its so easy to make friends when you’re young.

The joy of the moment was the only joy. That is the message of youth.  Most of life’s adventures still lie ahead. That is the advantage of youth. Everything is new or seems so.  Each ride is a new journey, each day is a new start. Only sleep interrupts the passage of these formative years. The years that lead to adulthood.

Reflecting, I continued my walk, energized by all the laughter and the play. The joy in small things.  Quickly making, losing, and remaking friendships. Simple games. No technology interrupts the pleasures of the moment.  No agenda.  No responsibilities.  The simple thought of drinking from a garden hose to be refreshed. We can learn a lot from children. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we did?