It’s sad that so many adults lead boring lives and are
afraid to take moments to be a kid in the midst of work and being a parent or
grandparent. I have the awesome
privilege of being with kids and teens on a daily basis. I have to admit that
regardless of age and cultural differences they are teaching me to lighten up
and enjoy life in the moment. It is so easy to be an adult who is overly
concerned about the future, bottom line and what others think. What my little
guys have helped me figure out is that it is ok to mess up, laugh at myself and
even on rare occasion be totally strange for fun.
I have a father in-law who seems to be able to defy age and
continues to live life to the fullest being close to 90 years old. Last year
for his birthday all of us bought for him a parachute jump. He had been
challenged by someone else in their senior complex, that is a few years older,
that has jumped numerous times. He’s not one to let a challenge like this go. I
have to admit that the rest of us were a little apprehensive about whether it
was a wise thing for an old man to jump out at 10,000 feet. This was such an
important event that Anne and I actually traveled to San Diego to calm down my
mother in-law who thought she would see her hubby drop to his death.
We hiked on Saturday with a bunch of younger kids who loved
racing to the top of South Mountain. They have this boundless energy that is
contagious even for old guys like me. It was exciting to see them race for a
reward of new headphones for the one to get there first. One of my older
volunteers was shocked to see the kids race to the top and be totally trust
worthy with the hike. I had total faith in their ability to make it whereas the
typical adult I have to make sure they have one of the kids helping them not
get lost.
I have a few grandmas in our neighborhood that always put me
to shame. My favorite is Doris. She is still a care giver/nurse during her
‘golden’ years. One of her older gentleman, he’s 92 I think, she visits a
couple of times a week to help. She had done this for years without any pay.
This special friend surprised her this last year with an incredible gift, I’m
jealous, of a burnt orange colored Camaro. All of the kids and teens now see
Doris from a very different perspective. She’s now the ‘hot’ grandma who might
take one of them for a ride in the ‘hood’.
One of my few grandpas, Earl Cooke, is my other special
friend. Earl has this red bike with a special basket that he rides all over the
place. I’m always shocked to see him hanging out with us at the park or at the
rec center on a Thursday night. He is the one who continues to see the needs of
others instead of complaining about his aches and pains and the fact that his
wife left him a year ago.
What is it about being child-like that is refreshing,
exciting and helps get our focus off whether we have succeeded according to
someone else’s standards? Jesus himself shocked his 12 when he brought a group
of children together and said that they had to become like them if they wanted
to enter the kingdom of heaven. What is it about the simplicity and trust level
of a kid that always humbles me and helps me see that I’m too serious? I have a
few teens that have some behavioral issues that test me or push me to the limit
at times. Most of these teens aren’t wild 'childs' but have boundaries, which
they understand. So at times I’ll see a few of them take their own time outs.
At first this bothered me because I was more concerned about them conforming to
my standards instead of understanding their world.
I’m looking forward to the day when I will have grandkids
that I can spoil and do things that I have missed the last 25 years as my kids
are now grown adults. So I believe it is possible to be an adult who can be
childish on occasion to enjoy a sunrise, run to the top of a mountain or play
with your dog and be totally exhausted at the end of the day!
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