He never grew up; but he never stopped growing.
—Arthur C. Clarke, epitaph for himselfStay curious and open to life. No matter what happens, keep learning and growing. Find what you love to do and find a way to share it with others.
—Cheerful Monk
The truth of the matter is, I’m a playful, exuberant puppy at heart. Last week I said I was feeling a bit tense so I experimented with smiling, bouncing on my jogging trampoline, and singing. I said I would tell you if I remembered to keep doing it. The answer is a resounding yes. As I mentioned in What Are Your Stress Secrets at Transforming Stress, I also experimented with laughing and dancing.
And I did talk out loud quite a bit. I got out my teddy bear (a cuddly 27″ long) and hugged, talked to and danced with him. I hadn’t done that in years. It was energizing and liberating.
Yes, it was incredibly silly and non-grown-up. And I had a great time, learned a lot, and got a lot done. I’m sticking with Arthur C. Clarke. Never grow up, and never stop growing.
What about you? Do you believe in growing up, or do you, too, reap the joys of being silly? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
Thanks to David, Daz, Robert, Gloria, and Shilpan for commenting on last week’s post.
Last week at Curves (workout place), women usually talk & laugh, but it was pretty quiet. Except there’s music with a strong beat to keep us moving. I asked for some entertainment. Nothing happened, so I did a wild jerky, unattractive dance. I felt silly & good. Got some laughs too.
I never want to grow up – though sometimes I think that it’s only by growing up that I can never grow up.
The most mature people seem to be those who are most comfortable with themselves, and so they have the most fun because they are able to relax in any situation.
A.C.Clarke is one of my favorites!
I have to say though that you can grow up, in that you can see that this world of ‘scientific principles’ is an illusion that can be broken through when you un-learn all the things that have been taught as ‘facts’ but are simply speculation and best guesses such as evolution being a gradual process, time being a one way street and your memories existing in your brain.
Good old Arthur is rumored to have known a lot more truth than he publicly admitted I so hope we can find out what that was!
bikehikebabe,
🙂 Thanks for sharing the great story.
David,
I agree, that’s what I think, too.
Daz,
I personally like the scientific approach. And to me true science is always questioning, realizing that the stories we make up about the world are just the best stories we can do at the moment. They’re always subject to change, as long as the new story fits the observations better.
Thank you all for coming by.
Jean,
believe me or not, this is motto of my blog. I’ve never put that on the banner but I will someday – “Never stop growing”. It’s all about personal development in three words. Great post.
Shilpan
Shilpan,
🙂 Thanks. You made my day.
Jean,
Thought your blog was great. I totally agree about not growing up. I still put daisies in my hair, despite the odd looks I get. Also had fun this week at school (I am a teaching assistant in an infant and nursery school) as I was to take the class out and play games with them. Caused the kids alot of amusement when I decided to join in, racing them across the playground, playing piggy in the middle and joining in the skipping competitions. It was great fun!
Siona,
🙂 Good for you! Thanks for coming by.
I know I’m late and I know people may never see this but that is fine.
Up to six years ago I realized that I wasn’t meeting my expectations, I was lost as an identity, as a person. Then, by whatever means, a very sharp double-edged sword was placed in my hands and one month later, I find myself thinking in the way I had always wished for, always dreamed of. I now no longer speak of my ambitions as “I wish I could-” or “Someday I hope to-” and in fact no longer think of them that way either. I feel great and I enjoy the balance of everything. I will always grow as a person, to strive to understand myself, others and the things around me. I understand that what we know as science can change and I enjoy that fact immensely. There is more to this but I am not one to teach it, as it cannot be taught or learned, but realized. I do my best to enable others the chance to bring themselves to the same realization.
Andrew,
I hope you keep commenting because I would love to know you better. Could you tell us more about yourself, especially about your transformation?
I would be willing but perhaps not ready (if I ever will be) to discuss how I came about, but I am unsure if it would be wise to do so publicly just yet. I will think on this more, but until then I believe I could discuss this with you personally via email as I trust that you have a very acute self awareness already.