The inner child.

My last post talked about the importance of growing up, but there is something I felt worth adding to that.

On December 1st, we got snow in Kansas City.

As I watched the snowflakes fall outside my window, I turned on some Christmas music and lit a candle.

I began to reflect on some memories – a White Christmas in Texas that my young eyes couldn’t believe, the first time I heard the Relient K Christmas album, memories that came from the senses.

In those moments of reflection, I felt like a kid again.

Being able to tap into the good, warm memories of childhood is important.

As important as it is to learn from the cold, challenging memories of our childhood (reflecting on what caused us pain, our old habits – taking that learning and making new discoveries on what is next for us as we grow), it is just as important to remember the things we found joy in when we were younger.

Those are the founding moments of what makes us feel safe, joyful, and fun.

Being homeschooled, I spent a lot of time alone as a kid, so naturally, that alone time is comforting today.

Whether that was spent at the golf course, in the yard, or at the playground, many spaces I learned to be comfortable with just me in those spaces, taking in all of the learning I could in those experiences.

Then, slowly adding community to those spaces, I found even more learning from my peers.

Not only are these memories fond simply from my joy I had internally, I felt connected with the world around me amidst that joy.

That’s what I want to do consistently – CONNECT with the joy of my inner child; LEARN from the pain of my inner child.

We stay with the peace, comfort, and joy of our inner child; we grow beyond the pain, tears, and discomfort of our inner child.

We can’t abandon a piece of ourselves – it will always be there.

We ought to nurture each phase of our lives – the learning, the experiences, the emotions. They don’t ever leave.

Remember to sit with your inner child at times – holding your own hand, tending to the needs they had, where some were filled with joy, and others were unfulfilled, resulting in pain.

You know what you needed then, and you will find many of those things you still need now.

We will grow up. We will be better.

But we also will always be a piece of our past – don’t leave a piece of yourself behind.

NS

“I believe a few words can change your day and your life.”