Stop and Jump

Yesterday I jumped on a trampoline for the first time in many years. Obviously I didn't last long before my very out of shape body protested, but while it lasted I got to thinking. Being an adult is hard work. With keeping a job, paying bills, taking care of family... The list is endless it seems sometimes. Constant worry. Or at least that is how it is for me. I may be alone on this one.

Don't get me wrong I really enjoy my life. I have a great partner and we don't go hungry, we have a roof over our heads and a spoiled dog. But sometimes the worries of this life just get overwhelming.

As I'm jumping there on the trampoline experiencing the circle of; shooting up into the air, split second of weightlessness, and then falling back towards the earth. I feel for a few minutes like I did as a child. Just fun for the sake of fun. There is no point to jumping up and down. No agenda. Nothing in my world will have changed when I get done jumping. Just doing it because I can.

Does this story have a point? I'm not really sure yet. I'm thinking that even though we are adults now and we have all this stress and worry about us... Why can't we take a few minutes and revisit those simple pleasures that we had as a child. When life gets overwhelming and I feel like I'm about to break in half. Why can't I stop and jump? (Not over the side of a building! On the trampoline. It is a metaphor! Have you not been listening?) Climb a tree, watch a crazy cartoon, build a tent out of blankets... anything to just for a brief minute connect with that carefree child I once was.

Yes, reality is there and it demands our attention, but can't it wait five minutes for you to stop and jump? I am going to make it my goal to try and find the simple pleasures in life again. Whether it is Bugs Bunny or the view from a tree. (The later might be harder given my aforementioned out of shape body.) I'll deal with life as it comes at me and I'll fight back in part by taking a second to jump.

Now that you have heard my silly tale I want to hear yours. What is an activity that you really enjoyed as a child? Is it something you still find yourself partaking in that activity from time to time? Do you use your children as an excuse for partaking? Do you bring out your inner child's calm carefree attitude to help with your stress on occasion? I'm very interested to see if I'm just a crazy moron. For now, however, that is all I got. So until next time; Ladies, Gentlemen, and Those in Between... BUBBLES!!!