When you’re young, you spend so much time thinking about growing up. The idea of being in charge of yourself, having freedom from your parents, and being able to eat dessert before dinner is all very enticing. Then, when you enter into adulthood, every moment is spent wishing you could be a kid again. Most of us would be thrilled to go back to the days when our most stressful decision was who we picked to be on our team during sports at recess. 

Something I have always loved about kids is their zest for life. There's nothing that impresses me more than watching little boys collecting lizards and bugs from the yard with absolutely no fear. Or how little girls can venture out to run errands with their parents in mismatched socks and a ballet tutu. One of the most important lessons we can learn from kids is how easy it is for them to love others. They don't care what you’ve done, who you are, or where you’re from. They simply just want to be your friend. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if we all lived more like kids. What if we tackled life with no fear and didn't care so much about what others thought? What if we loved everyone for who they are and held no judgments? 

Just because we’re grown up, doesn't mean we have to take life so seriously. We could all take a page from the book of youth. Live with no fear, love with no judgments, and be proud of your authentic self. Youth has no age.

Jessica Douglas