Clare Henney: Time to be a Kid Again (Sort of)

Have you ever had that moment when you revisit a place from your childhood and you’re surprised that everything seems smaller? A friend of mine and I were talking about that and although we agreed that it had a lot to do with the fact that we are older (and bigger) now, I think it also had to do with us being children at the time and seeing things in a different light. There’s something to be said about looking at things through the eyes of a child. When you’re younger, you tend to think things are bigger, better and more interesting. Everything is new and things always seem larger than life. Now that I think about it, I miss seeing things in that way. As I grew older I’ve realized that I’m now seeing the world through tired and sometimes cynical eyes. I often look at things with a sense of boredom. I look at things and take it for granted because I have other things to think and worry about.

There are times when I still see things with child-like wonder but those moments are so few and far in between. It’s sad because I feel that I don’t enjoy life the best that I can by being this way. Maybe this New Year can be the year that I can change that.

I hope that in 2013 I can look at things with a greater appreciation and be in awe of the world around me. I hope that I can look at life with a more positive and less passive outlook and encourage others to do the same. It’s not going to be easy, but maybe we can all try to look at the world through our childhood selves and appreciate things more. We’ve got one life to live. I know that 2013 has just started but time flies by so fast that this year will be gone before we even realize it so we should enjoy it as much as we can.