The other day I was working with some kids and I had the thought most tired adults have had: I wish I had their energy. But the more I thought about it, the less I agreed with that statement. Why? Because as an adult with responsibilities I can't imagine what life would be like if I had 1-2 temper tantrums most days, petered out after 9 hours awake, or played hard/crashed hard half way through the day. You can liken it to being a sprinter or marathoner: one is over and done quickly while the other has endurance. I don't know about you, but my life doesn't lend to naps most days and I would be embarrassed to have tantrums weekly let alone daily. So I would much rather be able to work through a 16-18 hour day and feel pretty good from start to finish (even with a little afternoon slump that can be gotten over with a cup of coffee, walk or piece of chocolate) than go balls-to-the-wall for a couple hours and then crash and then do it all over again and again and again until it's the end of the day.
I think the reason why my brain really caught on the thought was because of all I've learned in life and relationships over the past decade or so is that so rarely is life about the next 10 minutes, and more it's about the next 10 days/weeks/years. Yes, a ton of life can happen in 10 minutes, not to mention that it sometimes takes 10 seconds and one decision for life to be forever changed and impacted, I don't discount that at all. But what comes before and after those moments are so much bigger and longer and require so much more of us, that it doesn't really make sense to try to live as a kid/puppy/sprinter, when what life usually requires of you is endurance.
So I'll keep living my endurance-based lifestyle, but I can appreciate and enjoy the zest for life that kids have at the same time. It's fun to watch them thrive like that and how their brains put things together in such unique ways and how they see life from such an interesting perspective. It also reminds me how important it is to live and be alive and to not be sucked into living a predictable life that's not full of adventure and love and meeting new people or getting creative and trying new things. Maybe that starts for you with just adding a little seasoning to your meals or trying a new type of coffee or tea or using a different scent of candle than you usually pick out. Or maybe it looks like you spending more time with the younger generations, volunteering with an organization if you don't have anyone specifically in your life of a young and enthusiastic age that you can spend time with. How do you incorporate a healthy amount of energy and zest into your life?
No comments:
Post a Comment