Remember when...

...you were young and too busy having fun and living life to be preoccupied with things like insecurities? Yeah...that was a good time.

I sat in awe on Sunday at a child's birthday when, even though none of his friends showed up, the kid had the best time of his life. It was wholly insignificant that there wasn't another kid at his party. It wasn't even a thought...a worry...an anything. He was happy throwing his red, 7 lbs. bowling ball down the lane, watching it roll from side to side, knocking against the bumpers. That was all that mattered. That was everything.

It occurred to me that all the most important things we need to know in life we knew right from the beginning. But life and people and culture has the power to erase, or at least misplace, those things and impose other more painful things on us. Things that cause us to forget those most fundamental and important lessons one should have in their "Life's Tool Box."

Where does all that knowledge go? All that pure, genuine and powerful knowledge...it must be tucked in there somewhere, right? At least I hope so.

So I sat there and watched him laugh and play and be completely unphased by something that would crush grown adults and my heart burst. It burst with the longing to be that happy, that simply. I sometimes think I imagined that time in my life...like it was a memory I borrowed from the movies. But no...I had that once. A life void of insecurity. Void of failure. Void of fear and over thinking and impossibilities.

We're not born insecure. Or fearful. We learn that. We teach that.

And isn't that funny? We thoughtlessly and habitually instill insecurity and fear in the purest hearts. Hearts that know nothing of them. We allow it to swallow up all the most beautiful things in people. Wouldn't it just make sense that we nurture those beautiful parts in people from the start? Give them some water and sun and TLC and watch them bloom. Wouldn't that be amazing?

So I think...if only we could all be kids again. Lost in daydreams. Unaffected by such silly things like caring about what other people think of you. Or by the possibility of not being perfect; of not succeeding. Kids do that naturally. They don't know any differently.

We could learn so much from those we try to teach most.

In all the rush to grow up and be successful and mature and smart we lose the most important keys to growing up successful, mature and smart. And then we spend a lifetime trying to relearn them. Why do we make things so complicated?

So run through sprinklers. Day dream. Imagine your world as colorfully and radiant and "impossible" as you can. And most importantly remember that you can still have the time of your life even if no one shows up to your party.

All you need is you.

...and your red, 7 lbs. bowling ball ;)