“It takes a long time to become young.” ~ Pablo Picasso
Practice ‘Young’:
Y – Yes: Say yes. Yes, yup, you betcha’, Si, Oui, Ja, Da, and Zee ha’a. (Rather liked that one …. kinda rhymes with Yehaw! Definitely the sound of fun.) Say ‘yes’ to those things you may have contemplated yet never have done before; those actions or invitations that have often intrigued you. You know, those things that, upon hearing about, you find yourself thinking “that really sounds like fun.” or “I’ve always wanted to try my hand at that.” Often these thoughts are followed up with mental Committee’s admonitions of “Oh, you can’t do that ! You’re too old / fat / thin / uncoordinated / proper …..(fill-in-the-blank).” Ad nauseam. Especially say ‘yes’ to things about which you know nothing. Who knows the wonders that could await !
O – Openness: It’s in ‘closed-ness’ that the Mind narrows. Especially be open to things you know nothing about. Again, who knows the wonders that await. New interests; new friends. Expansion of desires you’ve held for a long (long,long ??) time. Practice curiosity. No one knows everything, so allow fascination back in.
U – Upward: Look forward. And upward. To quote Stephen Hawking: “…remember, look at the stars and not at your feet.”
N – Newness: Take a moment to look (really look) at something you’ve seen a hundred-thousand times. A toothpick. The dish rag. Your hand. See it with the curiosity and awe that childlike wonder has. Find the newness in life again. Be willing as well to look at those ‘new fangled things’ without prejudgment. Some, if not most, are fascinating ! Doesn’t mean you ‘must’ adopt them into your world. Yet atleast be open to the newness. Believe it or not, there was a reason behind the thought / idea /invention. Wouldn’t you like to know what that was before you judge it ‘great’ or ‘lousy?’
G – Growth: As long as something is growing, it is alive. Allowing the Mind to grow is integral to one’s state of Being. Even the choice to continue to live and love a certain way is enhanced, and grown, when one examines it from time to time to see if the premise still fits one’s (new) belief structures. Continue to grow. Continue to live. Continue to dream, and continue to explore.
“It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.”
~ Gabriel Garcia Márquez (1927-2014)
Lin Church, Mssw Coach ~ Mentor ~ Writer ~ Presenter: JourneyWoman