An Age of Innocence
Watching my children, I'm often reminded of the line dividing child and
adulthood. The most marked difference is the freedom of innocence. I don't
think it totally leaves us at once. Over time, though, experience replaces
innocence and changes how we view the world.
I can look back to times in my life when I never imagined a mother could die
before her children were grown, summers never ended, friendships lasted
forever, and people you loved and trusted never manipulated or lied.
Innocence ignores possibilities beyond its reality. It is warm, safe and
blissful.
As time peels innocence away, the emotional comfort of day to day living
decreases. The weight of reality replaces innocence. The black and white
absolutes of my early childhood seem absurd now, as life on this side of the
line is an ocean of grays. Things beyond imagination, both good and bad, can
and do happen. This knowledge makes it easy to live on constant alert, and
small moments of joy pass all too quickly when my attention is otherwise
occupied.
There is a blessing that accompanies experience, though. It is a greater
appreciation for the moments of quiet that happen every now and again. When
my youngest encourages me to enter a local radio contest because I could
become a thousandaire if I win, (well, there is such thing as a millionaire,
so why not a thousandaire, he reasons) I have to smile. He reminds me I can
choose dreaming over worrying now and again. When my oldest hugs me after a
dinner of porcupine meatballs, thanking me for a great dinner and taking
such good care of him, it's impossible to obsess about what I can't afford
to give him. He reminds me to choose to recognize what I do have.
I miss the days when my biggest care was making my crayons last longer. I
wouldn't trade a second of watching my kids go through the process, though.
They constantly remind me I can still feel warm, safe and blissful from
where I am now. It's simply a matter of choice.
all the best,
Catie
copyright 2003
About the Author : Catie Hayes is founder/editor of WomanLinks.com; a
community of support, spirituality, growth and empowerment for women. She is
a freelance writer, the single homeschooling mom of two, and an avid fan of
laughter, spontaneous dancing, cats and chocolate (not necessarily in that
order).
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Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_68857_40.html
Keywords: absolutes, adulthood, age of innocence, catie, crayons, early childhood, emotional comfort, freedom, friendships, imagination, matter of choice, meatballs, millionaire, moments of joy, porcupine, possibilities, radio contest.
