“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” E. E. Cummings
This is a beautiful quote, and perfectly captures the way healthy, well-loved children experience life! Have you ever taken a walk with a young child? They’re full of curiosity and feelings of wonder about even very small, common things that they see. They’re fascinated by a crawling bug, a brightly colored fall leaf, an oddly shaped rock. Kids have a natural, spontaneous ability to see the magic in life! They aren’t yet filled with insecurity, self-judgement, and negative self-talk that can stilt imagination and freedom of expression. Of course, there are exceptions to this. Some children are born into very harsh circumstances that over time begin to close their sense of safety and comfort with themselves, and their world. But thankfully that isn’t the norm.
As adults, we so often have become disconnected from our natural curiosity and wonder. We’ve learned to tamper down our spontaneity. We’ve lost the easy flow of creativity and self-expression. Our daily repetition of self-talk has become centered around judgement, and a narrowness of acceptable reactions and responses.
What would it feel like to be able to recapture the exuberance and excitement of each new experience? We can’t go backwards in time, and become children again. But we can slowly open our eyes, little by little, to a new personal reality. We can begin to see our own self-worth, our own strengths, our own wisdom, our own possibilities. We can begin to have compassion for ourselves and our struggles. We can recognize the lessons we’ve learned, and the growth we’ve made. We can shift our focus to the good things in our lives, and feel a gratefulness for what we’ve earned, and what we’ve been given.
What do you think? Are you willing to try seeing yourself in a more accepting, more loving light? The way you experience all of life could change dramatically!
Until next time,
Perhaps it is my curiosity and wonder that keeps me going, even through the darkest times. The beauty of nature soothes me, and I consider it a daily gift. Thank you, Linda, for reminding me how important this is.
The freedom we feel to be curious and filled with wonder can support us in wonderful ways, Valerie! The more we believe in ourselves, the more we’re able to freely express all of the varied facets of our being. There’s obviously a very deep part of you that connects beautifully with the abundance of nature. It’s there to support and sustain you.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me!
Linda