Wheeeee...

One day this past week I was searching the hard drive of my computer for some information, and I came across a short video clip from back in January. Just looking at the first scene that was frozen on the icon had me completely confused, but then as I watched it, it all came back to me.

For Christmas, my mom gave Paul an Amazon gift card. He is rather difficult to buy for. Well, I thought he was, and then I saw what he did with the gift card. He used it to buy a toy. Not just any toy, mind you. He purchased a super duper action figure of Evel Knievel on his motorcycle. I don’t think there’s ever been a 9-year-old boy as excited as Paul was when it arrived. I remember rolling my eyes quite a bit and wondering how I ever thought he was mature enough to marry, but then with all his enthusiasm, he started showing me how fast the motorcycle would go and that even better, it could jump things.

Soon we were both setting up a roadway for Knievel and building ramps (notice that’s plural) and filming his aerial feats. I have to say, I felt like I was a kid again, and that was a pretty cool thing considering that we had been on lockdown and had been through the wringer with covid for almost a year at that point.

And this week as I watched the video again and thought back to how I felt that day in January, it seems even more pertinent now. We, on the whole, have been adulting a lot. Worrying about germs and illness and loved ones and a whole host of other grown-up things.

There are normally very few chances to act like a kid even when the whole world is not on fire, but lately there have been many fewer it seems But that’s why it’s more important than ever.

You know when you’re on a plane and the flight attendant is giving the safety spiel? They always say in case of a drop in cabin pressure the oxygen masks will drop. You should secure your own mask before assisting others. The reason for that is if you can’t breathe, you certainly can’t help anyone else. And that holds true in other matters as well. I’ve heard it referred to as filling the well. If your well is empty, how can you give to others?

So my challenge to you is this: what could you do that would give you the fun and excitement you had as a kid? Why not give it a chance? Have some fun. It might be as simple as eating dessert first; it might be jumping out and scaring someone; it might even be seeing if a toy motorcycle can jump a toy school bus!!

My wish for you is a bit of joy and levity in the chaos of today’s world.