With thoughts of summer approaching , I read a great article at written by David Smith, “Living Life Through the Eyes of a Child.”
I am sure everyone has some sweet stories to tell of their childhood summers, as summers are a time to enjoy our great surroundings, warm weather, late nights and lots of fun. Of course, evenings around a flickering fire roasting marshmallows, stargazing and aurora borealis nights here on the prairies, sun and sand at the great beaches in our province, and lots of laughter create the best backdrop for the season.
Smith writes, “Perhaps we make life more difficult than it needs to be …that if we were to look at life through our “inner child’s eyes” we might be able to accept things as they are while seeking what they could be rather than dwelling upon what went wrong or why something might never be accomplished..
“As a child, dreams are built with and upon shifting sands [at the beach]...only to have them washed out or destroyed; children tend to pick up the pieces quickly and rebuild their dreams as if they had never been taken from them…
“While walking along the shore a child will find many lost and forgotten objects floating upon the waters – learning at a young age that one person’s waste can become the basis for another’s wonderment that something considered to be trash by one can, with a little imagination, can be another’s treasure.”
I personally can attest to the wonderment found by children in the simple things in life. Last summer visiting our grandsons in Powell River during a walk along the shoreline, one grandson was turning over every rock he could find. My husband asked him what he was doing and he exclaimed, “I’m looking for treasures!”
Kids see treasures even in a little crab harbouring under a rock…
Smith writes, “A child learns quickly that those who linger too long on the beach without moving tend to get burned (a lesson many adults forget).
A child gives meaning to life by seeking to fulfill their dreams (rather than blindly running from their reality).
“Live your life through the eyes of a child this summer – seeking the pleasure (rather than the pain) and the possible (instead of accepting that which has already been proven real) in whatever you say or do.”
Let’s all aim to enjoy the here and now and enjoy the simple pleasures of life, the people around us and laughing together as though we were kids!
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
