I'm Not Childish; I'm Adultish

I find little more annoying than adults who refuse to mature, so I hate the posts on social media that say things like, "Don't ever grow up!" Really? Do we need more immature and irresponsible adults who lack good judgment? I don't think so.

But I'm equally against the ridiculous notion that adults can't have just as much simple, beautiful fun as children.

I saw a photo of a toddler drinking from a hose with the caption "Oh, to be a kid again." My first thought was, No one told me that I had to stop doing that when I became an adult. Our house has well water, so when I'm outside playing (yes, I call it "play" when I take a moment to pet my chickens, swing on the glider, or exclaim over the teeny ground strawberries), it's perfectly logical to hang my head under the outside faucet to slurp up a drink rather than take off my boots to go into the house. It's just as expedient, efficient, and enjoyable to do that now as when I was a child.

I still lie in the grass with my dogs on a sunny day. I still love to discover tiny, star-shaped flowers hiding in the bushes.

I still get a thrill when I see a striped lizard chilaxing in the sun. 

Or a tender blue and black butterfly showing off.

I still blow dandelion seeds into the air.

A few days ago Jay, my cousin (Linda), and I, with as much enthusiasm as children, tried to whistle using acorn caps. Why? Because it's fall. And the acorns are on the ground. And the acorn caps are begging to be whistled through.

That's not childish; that's ageless. 

I didn't give up ice cream or chocolate chip cookies when I became an adult, so why would I give up other things I enjoyed?

I have a huge box of crayons and sometimes I color to relax.  How old do you have to be before you're not allowed to color anymore? It's incredibly soothing. It's mentally better than a glass of wine because I'm not numbing my senses in order to relax; I'm fulfilling my senses. I love the smell of crayons, the rhythmic sound of the wax rubbing off onto the paper, the smoothness of the crayon in my fingers, the blend of the hues, the look of black lines and white spaces slowly coming to colorful life...

Paul said in Corinthians 13:11, "When I was a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things." Lest we misunderstand, he listed what he meant by childish things: selfishness, envy, pride, irritability, and rudeness. He never said he put away childlike faith or joy or laughter. We preserve those things. 

I have more fun as an adult because I have better sense and more freedom. If I want, I can eat a brownie for breakfast. And sometimes I do! When we go to a restaurant, I ask to see the dessert menu first. Sometimes I get my dinner to go and just relish dessert. I have enough grown-up self-control to limit my sweet tooth, but also enough joie de vivre to indulge it when I'm in the mood.

A friend told me that she went to a dinner where one of the guests brought bottles of bubbles for everyone. I've never met that woman, but I love her! After they ate, this group of ladies walked through the green Pennsylvania countryside, blowing bubbles in the dusky light. At what age are we supposed to stop enjoying this? People, there's a rainbow in every bubble! A rainbow to remind us of our Creator's creativity and love.

Not my photo, but I'm unsure to whom exactly the photo credit belongs

There's a warm satisfaction in blowing an especially big bubble or attaching two or three bubbles without popping them. There's beauty in seeing their shimmering roundness float through the balmy air. The other day someone said to me, "You can't say the word 'bubble' in an angry way." I've tried; you simply can't pull it off. Why would anyone ever give up something so wonderful?

I received an order today, which is always exciting. I'd forgotten that when I filled out the on-line order form, in the section for additional instructions, I'd written "Tell the next person you see, 'My left elbow is turning green. The cat told me it was because of the grapes.'" The person filling my order highlighted it and wrote "This" with an arrow and a laughing face by it. 

Sometimes in Delivery Instructions, I write, "When I answer the door, tell me I'm having a good hair day. Sound sincere no matter how I look." It's fun to make people grin at any age.

I love to giggle with friends. Laughing so hard that we end up on the floor with red faces, holding our bellies. That isn't childish; that's adultish. 

In the wee hours of the morning, Jay and I plan to get up, climb on the roof, and huddle under blankets to watch the Blood Moon eclipse. Yes, he has to work in the morning, and I have someone coming over before 9 AM. But why not?

Grow up!

Have fun! 

I assure you that they are not mutually exclusive.

Verse(s) of the day: (Luke 18:15-17) "One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so He could touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering Him. Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, 'Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.'" Don't be childish; be childlike. Be adultish.