with
Mike Bellah
Childlike pleasures are simple and inexpensive.
When was the last time you were simpled out? That's too long.
Let yourself dream again. Life is a quest, and you are the conquering hero or heroine.
Down-Aging
"What age is most fun?" asks marketing expert Faith Popcorn. "How about being stuck at six!" With these words futurist Popcorn highlights a trend she believes will dominate the midlife years of this generation. She calls it "Down Aging . . . a return to a simpler time when we all giggled and played." Popcorn is right. Like Peter Pan, today's midlifers want to stay young forever. We miss the child we once were.
Take heart. You can be both an adult and a child. One can be childlike without becoming childish. And if your inner child is comatose from disuse, midlife is a good time to revive him or her. Following are some tips.
Enjoy the simple pleasures.
Want an ice cream cone? When was the last time you walked barefoot on a sandy beach? Have you been on a bicycle lately? Childlike pleasures are simple and inexpensive.
Take time for play.
Tag, you're it! Remember the games of childhood? With some creativity you can reconfigure them for an adult crowd. Just avoid making them too competitive and allow for plenty of imagination. Or forget your overly serious peers and find some kids to play with. They haven't forgotten how.
Laugh again.
What makes you laugh: games, books, movies, friends? Plan frequent activities that you know will lead to laughter. Surround yourself with friends who are not too stuffy to be silly. When was the last time you were simpled out? That's too long.
Recover childlike wonder.
Do you ask questions even when everyone else seems to know the answer? Can you pause to enjoy the awe and wonder of life's everyday miracles? Turn off the TV tonight and watch the sunset. Let your imagination go. Is that odd-shaped cloud a spaceship or a covered wagon (if you are a passenger on it, where are you going)?
View life as an adventure.
Has everything become routine? Let yourself dream again. Life is a quest, and you are the conquering hero or heroine. What riddles will you need to solve to complete your journey (a new job or career)? What dragons will need to be slain (perhaps fear or loneliness)? What treasures await you along the way (new friends, opportunities)? Midlife need not be boring. Let the child in you experience it as an adventure.
What age would you like to revisit today? So what's stopping you?