“There is no point in being grown up if you can’t be childish sometimes.”
• Sometimes you will need a reprieve from the sadness and reality that this baby died. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to go back to a time when you were a kid, when you were innocent and carefree, before loss touched your heart?
• It is the nature of children to live in the moment and appreciate what is right in front of them. They know how to be present and enjoy “right now.” All of us would benefit from inviting a little more childlike energy into our lives.
• The beauty of it is, you can do this! All you need to do is create the time and decide the what and where and with whom you’d like to express your childlike self.
• How long has it been since you rode your bike without having an agenda of exercise, chewed bubblegum, fed the ducks in a pond, laid on your back in the grass, went wading in a stream, ran through a sprinkler, shuffled barefoot across freshly mown grass, had a snowball fight, or built a sandcastle?
• Give yourself permission to do something childlike today, such as blow bubbles, jump rope, learn to yo-yo, visit a toy store, fly a kite, or climb a tree.
• If you have children, invite them to join you for your play date. If you don’t, ask a friend’s child, your partner, or a friend who can take her adult hat off and let inhibitions go.
CARPE DIEM
Right now, leave your inhibitions behind. What are one or two of your favorite childhood activities? Schedule these into your week. You deserve this “time out” from your grief.