Spontaneous Childlike Fun and Happiness

by Anne H.
(Wisconsin)

These days I feel most happy when I'm involved with my husband just spontaneously laughing, talking, and playing. This reminds me of when I was a child. I feel free of worry and very relaxed but also very excited about the future.

I truly feel absolutely free. I am extremely happy that I have this person in my life who inspires me and knowing that I inspire them just as much. I very much enjoy being with this person who I consider my very best friend ever in all the world and I love the feeling of anticipation that things are going to get better and better. I know we will have lots of fun. We have already had many years of great fun together already and I look forward to lots more.

Knowing this and feeling this way is very similar to how I felt when I was a child. Of course, I know more about life now and we have many responsibilities. There are pressures and deadlines, etc. in our lives. However, some of the very best times are when we're able to just suddenly put all of these things on hold temporarily, just for awhile, confident that we will be able to do all the other necessary things in time, and just let ourselves relax and have fun.

It's a release. When I was a child I didn't have to release it. It was just there. It was readily available just about all of the time. It could hardly be contained.

Many adults tried to stop it or at least to curb it. Keep it at some sort of a minimum. They kept kids crammed up inside buildings all day long most of the time. They didn't want to allow us too much free play time. They still do that.

I don't do that to kids. I'm a grandmother now. I'm told that I'm a wonderful grandmother. I know that I am. It feels really good knowing that. I enjoy my grandkids and I want them to feel free too. I want them to enjoy life and to have lots of fun. I have great fun with them too. I enjoy spending time having fun with all of my family more than anything else.

In my opinion, our grandchildren are lucky to have rather unconventional parents. We raised our children unconventionally, to be free and we definitely encouraged them to have lots of fun. Now our children are passing on the fun to their children. One of my adult children commented to me the other day that now I get to enjoy the fun all over again. I said "Yep!"

I'm very glad that I never forgot how to relax and enjoy myself and to have lots of fun, not exactly as a child, but at least in a very similar free and spontaneous way. I actually feel that it's vital to our well being. I'm also very glad that I married my best friend who feels the same way and that we have passed this kind of freedom and enjoyment of life on to our children and grandchildren.