Imagine Being A Kid Again
Tangents Vol. 1
Take 20–25 seconds and visualize yourself as a kid. Whatever moment/time you feel epitomizes your childhood, visualize it.
This visualization will help your mind enter the right “mode” while reading.
I’m convinced the prime of my life was when I was 12 years old. School was genuinely fun, not stressful. Just went to get a good laugh with my friends, play basketball, and piss off some teachers. When I came home, I watched a combination of SpongeBob and the Lakers plus played some 2K. I was also pretty obsessed with Kevin Hart at that time so I’d watch his comedy specials on my iPod. Then at some point within the day, I’d go play basketball at the park.
This cycle would repeat itself until one day it didn’t.
But it can’t be that. I still do most of those things. I play basketball, watch the Lakers and Kevin Hart, and yes, I still watch SpongeBob. Maybe everything changed because of school? Don’t get me wrong, college is fun, but there is more baggage. Going to school isn’t for shits and giggles anymore. I can have all the fun I want, but if I screw up here, it means so much more. In 7th grade, I didn’t do my Algebra I homework for two months. I dare myself to do that again. I’d go through an existential crisis if I skipped more than three homework assignments now: Are all my goals unachievable now? Is this semester cooked? Is it time to be a college dropout and run my dad’s store?
We place so much pressure on our actions. Failure seems much scarier now than it did as a child. I feel like if I mess up, it is not just a mess-up at the moment, but the effects of it will permeate and spill into everything else in my life. I definitely didn’t think this deep when I was 12. Maybe that’s why I want to be a kid again. That sense of ignorance. Not worrying about being a productive member of society and doing things the right way.
Up until I was 13, I was musty as hell. I hooped all day and wore the same four pair of clothes for the entire week. I didn’t care about hygiene or how I looked. I wore whatever made me comfortable. I dare myself to do that again. Obviously, in terms of hygiene, it is better if I don’t. However, it’s also because I care about how I look in the world and how the world looks back at me.
I think being a kid is defined by that fearlessness and lack of awareness about society. That’s what fuels a child’s creative freedom. At least, it fueled mine. I used to climb up on top of the monkey bars in elementary school and jump off, with the asphalt breaking my fall. Why? Because it looked fun. I had a shit-ton of elbow and knee scabs, but that didn’t phase me.
In 8th grade, I did stand-up comedy at the 8th-grade talent show. I dare myself to do that again. The nerves I would feel now if I tried, can’t even imagine.
In all honesty though, I’d still jump off monkey bars.
That state of mind is what keep pulling me back to wanting to be a kid. The freedom and fearlessness. I know there isn’t a time machine…yet, so I can’t go back to being 12. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t be a kid anymore.
I can still be a kid NOW. It starts with taking more risks and doing the things I want. For me, writing this out and sharing it is a step in that direction. For you, ask yourself what you enjoy and then ask, are you doing enough of that? If not, you got your key to unlocking your inner child.
We also need to stop asking ourselves “What if?” after everything. There is so much in the world to explore and we are holding back because we’re scared that we will fall flat on our faces. Oh well, if we get a couple of scabs, we get back up and try again.
