I have so many pictures of myself like this, with my little brother, in some careless childhood adventure.
Before we settled into our lives as adults...education, careers, bills, marriage, house renos, pregnancy, birth, parenthood, debt, miscommunication, that constant striving towards some future goal. The true gift of childhood is being carefree. You could sit in a cold mud puddle, without even thinking about how you were going to get into the house without dripping mud everywhere. Someone else was taking care of having a warm bubble bath ready when you came in, and dinner would be on the table once you were rubbed dry with a soft, clean towel. Your pyjamas and bed were safe and inviting, and you'd go to sleep without a care, wake up when your body felt rested, and begin another day of exploring the world and all its pleasures.
Lately I've been thinking about those times in my life when I was untethered...when I went where my boots took me, didn't worry about what was in my fridge, explored all the questions and wonderings inside me, and "followed knowledge like a sinking star". Is there a way to find balance in our adult lives, to "drink life to the lees" without completely abandoning the lives we've carefully created? This restless soul is wondering.
Thanks to Alfred, Lord Tennyson, dear deceased poet, for the quotes that have chased me all my life.
Oh how I ponder (and have been for quite some time) the same question.
ReplyDeleteI think we all ponder at times... Wonderful photo:)
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend to you,
xo
Linda
I think it is all on hold while you nurture the little souls around you. And then you teach them- with yes days, with vacations where you just follow your nose or some old dirt road, and as they grow, you start to think about it all again. And then, the things or ones that tether you are not like chores you dislike. You WANT to be near, to share their lives, to enjoy your home, etc. I don't know...now I am pondering too.
ReplyDeleteBTW- weren't we blessed to have that childhood?
Wonderful sweet and sad all at the same time.... my only sibling (a brother) is still single and kidless and though we're just 14 months apart, the differences are so vast between us. I miss our mud puddle too...
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you had such a cool childhood. Growing up in the 'burbs of Toronto was just so damned boring! I remember concrete rather than mud puddles. Hopefully I can change that for my kids. (btw, I think we can tap into our childlike selves, but it only happens in moments rather than hours or days...maybe when all the kids are grown and gone, we will have the time to be in the now)
ReplyDeleteI love this photo.
ReplyDeleteFrame it.
xo