Thursday, July 21, 2011

Life’s a giant playground

“Happiness consists in activity. It is a running steam, not a stagnant pool.” – John Mason Good

I strive to be a flexible and free-spirited person; one that yields to the slightest and most extreme of changes, one that appears to be in complete enjoyment of the unknown, and one that shrugs off problems like they were merely disposable incidentals.

But, the conscientious, responsible adult in me makes this quest a constant struggle. Thankfully, I have lots of little angels, (and I use this description with complete seriousness – of course), in my life to help keep the rigid adult in me at bay as they bring out my inner child.

Not long ago, I tagged along with a friend of mine and her ‘little angels’ to a playground park, and somewhere in between swallowing feathery mouthfuls of cotton candy and chomping on buttered, salty popcorn, I realized how freeing it was to stop thinking like an adult and more like a child again. This was a good thing because it started to pour on us. Did this stop the fun? Of course not!

What a catharsis it was to swing in the pouring rain and not care that my mascara dripped down my cheeks, my hair lost its style, and my sneakers turned into water-logged reservoirs. None of that mattered. There we all were giggling, swinging, running, and simply enjoying what I would have otherwise considered a washed-out day. The gentle reminders from my fun companions, that skirting around a playground park in the rain with their ‘auntie’ was just fine, changed my whole perspective. I wasn't worried about how silly I looked exchanging goofy faces with these little angels or about the intake of calories and fat grams I was ingesting as I chomped into all that sugar and chugged down a regular Coke (not diet)!

That day taught me something important – free-spirited and flexible people don’t shy away from childlike fun. Since then, I have continued acting a little silly, having more fun, and taking life less seriously as I pounce and propel upwards on the great trampoline of life, one freeing, child-like step, flip, or even flop at a time. 


Hoping the same for you,
Suzie
 
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I feel it's critical to support the community, and so I've committed to donate a portion of my book sale proceeds to Chely Wright's LikeMe foundation (http://likeme.org/) to help provide support, resources and education to LGBT individuals, and their families and friends. My books can be found on Amazon: The Fiche Room, Tangerine Twist and Two Feet Off The Ground.


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