"If Dreaming is Child's Play, Why Do We Struggle So as Adults?"
"If Dreaming is Child's Play, Why Do We Struggle So as Adults?"
I heard a profound question today: Imagine if everyone in your town was living their dream today—what would it look like?
Wow, can you imagine that? Maybe it’s easier for me because there are less than 10,000 people in my town. I can easily imagine how amazing it would be if they were all happy, hopeful, and whole.
Is this something you can imagine? What would your parents be doing if they were pursuing a dream? What would you be doing? What would your children be doing?
Would you take an art class? Would you write a book?
What is that thing in your heart that you long for?
''What is that thing you have in your heart that you long for?''
And then I guess the next question we have to ask ourselves is—why do we ignore the longing? Why do we tell ourselves that we are too old, too young, too fat, too poor, or too whatever? Why don’t we just go for it!
Instead of just going for it, we contemplate, plan, think, and analyze. I was thinking today—how many of you have children? How many of you would have had children if you had sat down first and listed all the things that can go wrong?! Being a parent is sometimes so scary! I am not just afraid they will bump themselves and get hurt. I am afraid they will die or disable themselves (anyone else with bouncy boys?). I am afraid they will have heartaches and disappointments. I am afraid they will give up hope when they fail. And I am sometimes afraid that they will not want to be my friend when they grow up.
Any of you had children who became ill—there is nothing more gut-wrenching and scary than that. And yet, for most of us, this is the one thing we decide to just do. We decide to have children, and then after a few years, we look back and think: "We had no idea!" It is hard, you don’t sleep, and you have to clean up things that spill and stink. And yet, and yet—I would do it all over again!
We had new carpets laid last week. The carpet fitter came back just three days later to fix some joins around the edge of a room. He could hardly get back in the room because the boys had been playing dress-ups and all the dress-ups and plenty of other toys were all over the room. He remarked about it, and I said: "Anyone that comes to my house has to come more than once!" Then I showed him another room that was stacked full when he was there, which is now empty and open for the next carpet installment. We not only make a mess quickly, but we also clean up quickly.
I told him I love a mess (on a clean floor). I once had five children at once with scarlet fever. There were no toys on the floor, there were hardly any dishes as no one was eating or playing. They were just lying there being sick. I was so wishing they would get better and make a mess again.
The mess is a sign of life!
Sure, we need to clean and tidy. But we just clean and tidy so we can make another new mess and keep living, loving, and playing.
In playing, dreams are cultivated. My boys have been flying, exploring, and fighting bad guys.
Childhood is a beautiful mess of imagination and dreaming. As adults, we often lose this sense of wonder and spontaneity. But what if we didn’t? What if we embraced the happy, joyful mess of our own dreams just as our children do? What if we pursued our passions with the same fervor and excitement as kids playing dress-up?
Think about it. What dreams did you have as a child? What’s stopping you from pursuing them now? Let the playfulness of childhood inspire you to chase those dreams.
Let’s live in a world where everyone, young and old, feels empowered to pursue what makes their heart sing. Embrace the mess, the joy, and the dreams.
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