Simplicity

“Childhood means simplicity. Look at the world with the child’s eye – it is very beautiful.” – Kailash Satyarthi

Lockdown and quarantine have got me thinking. Why does everything have to be so big and complicated? Jobs, houses, lifestyle, etc. When you become an 'adult' everything becomes complex and different. At 22, I feel like I have to have my life planned out. We have to have jobs that pay a lot of money for us to be able to live in a nice house, eat food, drink water, buy things.But what about what we want our lives to be? What about fulfilment, imagination, excitement. What about our dreams?

When I was little, I didn't know what I wanted to grow up to be, but I had dreams of what I wanted to my life to look like when I was a grown up. A nice house, a big family, a handsome husband, a dog, etc. It wasn't about making a living, it was just living.

Now, I do appreciate that things cost money and that's just how things are. And even as a child I knew that. But the dream was still there. I watch videos on YouTube of people who seem to have it all together, who have 'perfect' lives and 'perfect' families. The kind of life I dreamt of as a child. I almost get jealous of those people who have their lives made up for them, or have a job that they absolutely love and wouldn't change for the world. The fact is, I'm just making ends meet. I work to live and live to work.

But then I realised something else. Like the quote I opened with, children see simplicity. They see face value. They don't look beyond the things in front of them. They just live. I've worked with children for 5 years now and I can tell you, the things that little children say are just incredible sometimes. One time, I wasn't having a great day and it was probably clear to everyone as I was very on edge. But a little girl that I looked after just came over to me and said "Don't be sad. Have my dolly and we can play." She took my hand and led me to the play kitchen and got me some food and we played. Children are born to love. We are all born to love. There's no frilly expectations or requirements. A child's love is raw and real. There are no rules, no exceptions. Just love. And this love fuels their wildest dreams. It allows them to learn and to play and to imagine. Don't tell me if a child came up to you and told you you were a cat and they were a dog, that you wouldn't join in and play. Imagination knows no bounds and I think that we should all tap into our inner child once in a while and dream. Use your imagination and that real and raw love to be your inspiration. Just breathe a little. It's different for everyone, but it could be exploring a new place, going on an adventure with friends, being creative and artistic, making new friends, or just loving the people you love.

There are so many things that we can do now that would be fulfilling our childhood dreams. Some of the big things might not be practical right at this second, but there are things, like being happy, that you can achieve, even if it is for a short while.