Growing old is not growing up

We like to talk about the physical affects of aging here on Life Explained Explains Aging, but "aging" has other aspects as well. We learn, grow and develop throughout our lives. Some of the things we learn stay with us for the rest of our lives while others are forgotten over time. 

The photo above shows my little family...except me of course...someone has to document the fun in digital format. This picture shows three (mental) stages in life in the form of my wife and two daughters. I merely intended to capture my wife's joy swinging on a beautiful day, but due to my superior photography skills, I managed to capture a full story. 

My wife on the left, who is WAY older than 39 years old, is having a blast being a kid and swinging at the park. For a few brief moments, she was a kid again without a care in the world. Feeling the sun on her skin and the wind through her hair, she let the stresses and pressures of life float away. We all have that inner kid that wants to get out and play from time to time. I strongly encourage you to let your inner kid out every once in a while. As we get older and our bodies start to feel not so young, it is vital that we enjoy feeling young at heart every chance we get.

Now look at my youngest daughter Siri in the middle. At five years old, she is caught in the middle of learning and having fun. She knows how to swing - she's done it a thousand times - yet there she is watching her mom swing alongside her. The curious side of her is looking to mom for tips and tricks to help her better enjoy her swinging experience. Ok, maybe not, but she is looking at mom being silly and acting like a kid. I hope she is also tucking this memory away in the back of her mind to remember at a later date that it's ok to be a kid - even when she's "old" like her mom. 

Last, but certainly not least, is my older daughter Ziva on the right. At the ripe old age of seven years old, she is resting on the brink of being a "big kid" and her life is changing. She still loves playing at the park, but she seems more interested in strength challenges of the monkey bars than swinging. She's also at that point where she wants to act like she's too old to play on the swings, but knows she loves it. For her, I hope she takes note of the joy her mom is experiencing two swings over and decides to just have fun. 

Childhood flies by in a heartbeat. Even more so for us parents who are watching our children grow up. You may not be able to have your childhood back, but you can reminisce in the form of swinging at the park, or my favorite, building Lego castles with my girls. 

Now that I'm thinking about Legos, I think I'll go build myself a castle. The girls are in bed so I don't have to share the Lego pieces. Even better, I don't have to build a castle for My Little Ponies. I can build a Rebel base for my...er, I mean...my girls' Star Wars toys. Until next time....