Tags
acting like a child, Healthy Happy Loving Life, joy, Kebba Buckley Button, Laughter, Moving your life, play, speaking gently, The life you want
© 2024 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM. World Rights Reserved. http://www.kebba.com
We see a lot of praise of childhood, in headlines, in stories, and in conversation. Beneath the veil of US culture lurks the idea that childhood is necessarily innocent, light-hearted, magical, and full of Good Stuff that tired adulthood cannot have. Really? Then why do we meet so many crying or bad-tempered children? Why is there so much bullying? What light-hearted happy child bullies another? For me, I couldn’t wait to get out of childhood and have choices. I love adult life. I get to make choices every few minutes. I choose when to get up, what to eat, how to set the thermostat, and what to wear. And, while I am sometimes concerned about making the *right* choices—will this security company really be better than that one?—at least I have complete freedom to make those choices.
My parents were brilliant, highly educated people. I know absolutely that they did the best job of parenting that one could. I know they cared. But today some people idolize childhood as a gentle, innocent, light-hearted time. And I didn’t find it any of those things. The worst conversations for me are when someone asks, with a dreamy expression, “oh, remember when we were kids and we didn’t have a care in the World?” I wish I knew where they grew up!
So, what is it people think makes childhood so much better than adulthood? And can’t we have those qualities in adulthood? Last night, I enjoyed a dinner theater show at Saint Barnabas on the Desert Episcopal Church, in Scottsdale, Arizona. The theme of the show was, “Forever Young.” It examined these very themes. Broadway show tunes were used, strung together by a story narrative, to examine what it is that makes us young at heart. In the story, something made the grandfather feel and act like a child, and the children began to act like adults. The themes were so lovingly presented that we laughed and cried all the way through. I needed mascara repair at the end!
So what is “acting like a child”? Is it being light-hearted, unworried about finances and the distant future? Is it laughing easily? Is it being fascinated by tiny bits of Nature, like the behavior of a bug? Is it being playful? Is it making faces, skipping and jumping just because you feel like it, without worrying about What Others Think? Maybe it’s all these elements.
The British Heart Foundation, bhf.org.uk, says, “[Laughter] can reduce feelings of anger and frustration. It can reduce pain and induce feelings of hope. Laughter is a universally positive experience.” Mayo Clinic says, “Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.” In short, laughter is a great stress reliever and a great energizer! (Soon, I plan a separate article devoted to laughter.)
So what else can we do to induce that ease and gentleness attributed to childhood? I suggest five things:
- create a comfortable and cozy environment at home
- speak gently with ourselves
- laugh often
- play
- take everything less seriously. If we lighten up, we’ll be mostly “there.”
Think you don’t have time for all these elements? If you just add play to your week and speak gently with yourself, those two things alone will have you ever more Healthy, Happy, and Loving Life!sm
Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM, is a stress/energy management expert, holistic healer, and award-winning author who celebrates life. She has a longtime natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. Among her books are: Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), Inspirations for Peace Within: Quotes and Images to Uplift and Inspire, and Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine. The books are available on Amazon and through Kebba’s office. They are also available in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the Franciscan Renewal Center bookstore and at the bookstore at St. Barnabas on the Desert Episcopal Church. Or simply email us to order: kebba@kebba.com . Thank you!