Oh to be young.
Last month I went on an annual trip to Disneyland with my family. It’s crazy- we’ve been doing this trip for twenty years straight. For those of you keeping track at home, I was six the first time I went to the house of mouse.
The trip was great as always but I couldn’t help but wonder WHY Disneyland made you feel so magical. Was it the characters? Maybe. How about the rides? Possibly. How about the churros? I do love churros, but no.
I probably spent too much time thinking about the question at hand but I think I came up with an answer.
It’s not Disneyland- it’s you!
Yes, Disneyland does help you tap into that childlike feeling where anything is possible and your dreams are just out of reach. But it’s that kid inside of you that is making you feel good.
When I was a kid, anything was possible. I wanted to be an police officer that wouldn’t have to hold a gun because I would talk to everyone nicely. Now that I am older and life has thrown me a few curveballs that I swung out on…I realized that no, you can’t be a cop in the US and not carry a gun. Also, people don’t tend to stop criminal activity by saying “please don’t do that. Let’s chat.”
Maybe I am not fit to be a man in blue but I do have the power to say “yes” to acting like a kid. Everyone should do it sometime. Just watch your favorite Saturday morning cartoon (Doug) and see how it feels.
Obviously acting like a child in certain situation can turn out dangerous. Like when it’s time to clean your room, you can’t throw a fit. But you can grow up and still have fun picking up those dirty clothes. I usually listen to 90’s songs and pretend I am on a gameshow and if I clean up my room in time I will win a brand new Huffy bike.
This month I am turning 27 and instead of thinking of how old I am, I am going to start thinking about all the fun i’ve had since I was a kid and tap into that energy.
So if you see me at the bar this weekend, I may be turning 27 but inside I am partying like it’s 1995.
When was the last time you let your childlike energy come out and play? What adventures did you go on as a kid? What’s your favorite cartoon? Let me know in the comment section below and we can also discuss why Doug Funny and Patty Mayonnaise are America’s sweethearts.
