INNER CHILD

    Too many times, we get caught up in the affairs of this earthen realm and rob ourselves of the simple joys in life. We act like all of eternity hinges on our hectic schedules and to do lists. As we continue this pattern day by day, we become anxious creature of stressful habit that loses its ability to play and see the wonder in our world. If you're living this kind of lifestyle, ask yourself, am I truly happy? Do I feel fulfilled in my daily life? When I lay down at night, do I have a sense of inner peace and feel thankful for my blessings? Do I look forward to tomorrow and the little plans I've made to season life with happiness and excitement? Is there anything I'm looking forward to, or am I in a constant state of worry and planning and have no time for amusements in my thoughts and life?

    Don't take yourself too seriously, if you do, you only succeed in stifling the energy of your soul. You will put stress on your body and be more susceptible to illness. Your mind will become stagnant, and you will become a statue of a person; meaning, you will be the same, unchanging, distracted and negative person every day of your life and bring no joy to yourself or those around you. No human being truly wishes to live this way. We want to enjoy life, we want to live, love, laugh and play. And you can only do this by letting your soul have free expression in your life by letting your inner child come out to play. You cannot let your cynical mind tell you that you're being immature, or perhaps wanting to do something that is only for children. If you do this, you've already defeated yourself and handicapped your soul... Don't let the world turn you into another lackluster drone who is constantly preoccupied by some worrisome thought, and getting little to no joy out of life. Open your heart, your mind and let your inner child lead you in the direction of your authentic self.

    And of course, this does not mean that we become people given to flights of fancy and take no responsibility for life. Of course, there are things we all must do in a day to survive and make a living. But when we become so mired in those things that there is little to no room for anything else, then we have an obvious problem. Life is about balance, and living to extremes on either side of the fence is not healthy or realistic. It takes some honest self evaluation, being mindful of our schedules and planning to keep things in a more healthy balanced state. But it can be done, and after while it will become second nature. As my grandmother used to say, "another day, another dollar, but make sure you use some of those dollars to make yourself happy." Life was not designed to drown us, it was designed to be lived.