Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Childhood’s important, for it’s during that time when we learn valuable sensibilities that can help smooth over the rough spots the remainder of our lives.  Doesn’t matter if we experienced a carefree or more challenging childhood, in either we were, no doubt, exposed to simplistic standards that we were asked to put into practice then and should still be using today.

Some of those principles include: do unto others as we would have others do unto us; when given lemons, make lemonade, keep your chin up; and also take each day one step at a time.  Remembering these concepts and incorporating them into our everyday life not only makes our lives function on an easier plane but also makes things more enjoyable for those around us.  Why?  Because by adopting these mindsets, we view things in a more positive light, one where we’re better equipped to see solutions to problems and the silver lining in most situations rather than walk around with a cloud of doom and gloom looming over our head, casting an ugly shadow on all those near to us.

My stepfather used to have me promise that I’d never forget what it meant to be a child.  To this day, I’ve kept my promise to him, often acting as carefree and goofy as a kid while maintaining a kid’s thirst for adventure, and an enthusiastic outlook on life—its potential, no matter how bleak things were at the time.  Part of remembering what it was like to be a kid is to recall and use the principles I learned while a child.  Sometimes, I do forget, causing life’s waters to grow rougher.  But when I’m diligent to incorporate my learned childhood sensibilities, I’ve found that life runs on a much evener plane.