Signs You Are Losing Touch With Your Inner Child

My birthday is coming up. A lot of times, when people ask how old I am, I actually have to stop and think about it. I figure I don’t need to worry about keeping track. By the time I’m old enough for social security there won’t be any left anyway. As people get older, they tend to lose their capacity to be amazed by things, their appreciation of nature, and their ability have fun in general. In short, they lose their inner child. If this happens to you, well, you’re pretty much a goner. I’m not saying that the death of your inner child precedes your actual death, but you might want to go casket shopping just in case.

Five signs you’re losing touch with your inner child.

1. You aren’t amazed anymore when you are onboard a plane that is taking off.  The average 737 has a maximum takeoff weight of around 75 tons.  75 tons.  It takes less than a mile to get those 75 tons of people, metal, luggage, bad airline food, and fuel off the ground.  That’s pretty cool.  I usually shove whichever of my sons I am sitting next to out of the way and plaster my face to the filthy airplane window so I can watch the ground recede.  When we have reached sufficient altitude, I lean back in my seat and think, “what kind of black magic is this?”
2. Baby animals don’t make you smile.  I mean,,, c’mon.  They’re baby animals.
3. Videos of people falling down can’t bring an end to your bad mood.  I love watching people fall.  Whether they are slipping on ice, falling off ladders, riding skateboards, or jumping on trampolines, people are funny when they fall.  America’s Funniest Home Videos has been on the air for twenty five years, mostly because videos of people falling down are funny.
4. You don’t enjoy fireflies on a summer night.  I love early summer nights.  My backyard is dark and after sunset, I like to sit out there and watch thousands of fireflies light up the trees.  If you pay attention, nature will always remind you of how small you are.  Also, you should pay attention to nature simply because it is constantly trying to kill you.
5. The only thing that you can imagine anymore, is what you’re going to eat for dinner.  I’m always amazed by my kids imagination.  My oldest son loves to write stories and make his own comic books.  It can be hard to hold on to that level of imagination.  The best way to do it is by reading.  Reading something other than restaurant menus. In the past I’ve found that the best time to exercise your imagination is during college level algebra classes.  As an adult, staff meetings are a great time to get in a little daydreaming.