Happy Children's Day!
It’s Children’s Day today – which might not be a big deal to
you if you don’t have any such beings running around your house. But you know
what, that’s no reason to not celebrate (the double negative just flowed right
out of my keyboard without any hesitation) – after all:
- We were all once children and continue to be called “children” in the eyes of our parents.
- You only stop being a child the day you decided to grow up – and as for me, I haven’t made that decision yet. I’m still thinking about it and might put it into my FY17 goals.
There is actually nothing wrong in being a child (unless you
constantly go around vomiting on people or have a tendency to spontaneously run
into traffic). In fact, many religions encourage the characteristics of
child-like innocence and an openness to God’s calling and the world in general.
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| Wave your hands in the air and cover your face! |
So here are some tips if you wish to become a child (or
child-like) again:
Ask dumb questions – You notice that kids have all kinds of
weird and crazy questions, and they like to ask it at the most inappropriate
times. Like when you’re driving or standing in a lift with other people around,
not sure if they do it on purpose. The fact is, to them, there is no such thing
as an inappropriate question because if they need to know something, they need
to know it now. How often have you sat somewhere with a question in your head,
but felt afraid to raise your hand to blurt it out? “Did somebody fart? Why is
this uncle so big size?”
Wave at strangers – Or smile if you don’t feel so extreme.
Kids are naturally friendly and we often encourage them to wave at other kids.
For example, “Hey, that’s your friend – wave at them!!” In actual fact, they
are not friends at all and I like to just make the assumption that anyone who
is within a +- 15cm height differential would naturally be their friend. The
other day Amber told me that some lady in the neighbouring car smiled and waved
at her as we drove by – she had this curious tone like “Do people do that? Is
that normal? Can I wave back?” Sometimes as I walk around and I catch the eyes
(not literally) of someone else, I would just do a small greeting which would
range from a slight nod (almost unsociable) to a smile and a “Hi!”. Most people
are friendly enough and are just waiting for you to make the first move. Not so
sure about waving to strangers in passing vehicles.
Run and dance in public – The only time you might see an
adult running through a mall is if he stole something. But everywhere you look,
kids are running and weaving, sometimes irking fellow pedestrians and shoppers,
much like those people on e-scooters. Children dart from place to place, loving
the feeling of the air flying against their faces and flowing through their
hair. Shannon twirls her way from the dining table to her bedroom, throwing in
a couple of high-kicks and mid-air leaps along the way. Amber has been doing
cartwheels non-stop since yesterday, damaging furniture and leaving footprints
on the wall. I’m not saying we should all start sprinting around like mad
people in public (you can if you want, but watch out for e-scooters), but keep
that lively gait in your step and rejoice in your life, mobility and youth,
regardless of what age you’re at. You’re never going to be as young again, and
you do have your whole life ahead of you to grow up, but only if you want to.
Happy Children’s Day!