Who Said?
Do you guys remember when we were little and life was actually fun? Not just occasionally, but all the time no-holds-barred fun?
What happened to that, huh? When did growing up turn into something so serious? When did we become destined to this stress-laden existence?
When did we start doing the things we have to do instead of the things we love? Who told us we had to stop doing the things we love? And why did we buy into it so easily?
I can remember being excited about growing up and all the possibilities I'd have once I was a grown-up. Luckily, I find myself doing something that I'm passionate about and genuinely enjoy doing, thereby making my profession a career in lieu of a job. I don't think I could go through the rest of my life with just that.
I know too many people who don't like to get out of bed and go to work. Too many people who just do the things they have to and never take any time to do the things they love.
We can't all be kids forever, nor should we try to be. But who said we had to be boring, stressed out adults? We should be making life something worth living. Otherwise, what's the point of living at all?
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3 comments
Excellent post, Ashton!
ReplyDeleteHow many times have you heard people say "I'm bored"? How many times have you heard the expression "life's a bitch and then you die"? Affirmations like those are poisonous. I refuse to buy into the philosophy that life was meant to be all work and no play. The challenge for us as adults is to find the time and the ways to put fun back into our lives.
We can start by tapping into resources that we still carry inside of us since our childhood - resources that have fallen dormant because we stopped using them along the way. Get back in touch with your youthful energy, drive and enthusiasm - your chidlike sense of wonder and curiosity. Find somebody or something to get excited and passionate about.
When you were a kid you didn't have to read a set of instructions to know how to have fun. You had a way of turning just about everything into fun. You can experience life the very same way as an adult. With this new mindset there's no such thing as "work" because you reframe work as play or, at the very least, as a temporary distraction that will quickly pass, allowing you to get back to the people and things that make life worthwhile. In this new reality there is no such thing as "bored" because you are fully aware that the universe offers an infinite number of fascinating things to see, do and learn about and you can't wait to explore them all.
You have age on your side, Ashton. You are flexible in your thinking. Hold onto that! Don't let it slip away as you grow older. If you read my Invasion of the Body Snatchers movie review on my blog at Halloween you noticed that I warned people of my generation to guard against a condition known as hardening of the attitudes. Keep thinking young, keep acting young and you will forever be young.
I don't know what you're talking about, but I plan on reverse aging, so I can TOTALLY be a kid forever. It's my dream that they'll invent that machine when I'm 70 and then life is set for me. :)
ReplyDeleteBut I get what you're saying, and I agree. Life beats you down and we let it. Adulthood is complicated. But, if you think about it, childhood wasn't that easy either. We lived in a world of ignorance and control, like being in a cage. I don't miss my childhood. But, I guess it's different for people who got to enjoy their childhood.
@Shady: I pride myself on my open-mindedness. I may not always agree with other people but I do try to understand them at least.
ReplyDelete@Christina: I don't necessarily miss childhood. I'm just tired of hearing people complain about how their adult lives suck. Your life is what you make of it, you know?