Remember when we were kids? We played in the rain, ran for no reason whatsoever, laid in the grass, and stomped in puddles.  Okay, so maybe you didn’t, but I did.  I don’t do those things anymore.

I dash through the rain to avoid getting wet. I run for exercise. I rarely even WALK through the grass if I’m not mowing it.  I walk around puddles or jump over them.  Those simple joys of childhood are things I actively avoid now.

Why?

On Sunday, while I waited for my aunt to return to her house, I pulled a blanket out of the car and laid in the grass on her front lawn.  I was in the shade of a tall water oak, enjoying the feel of a slight breeze, and the muffled sounds of Sunday car washes and far-off lawn mowing.  When she returned home, she apologized that I’d had to wait outside.  Apologize?  For what? I thoroughly enjoyed it!  I remembered the joy of just lying there with nothing to do for a little while.

I wasn’t pushing to go to sleep because I had to get up early.  I wasn’t thinking about business calls.  I wasn’t thinking about the three books I have started and need to finish.  I wasn’t thinking about unpaid bills or dogs that need feeding or cats that need a new scratching post.  I wasn’t thinking about the bajillion things that hold my attention (and sometimes my joy) hostage each day. I gave myself permission to just lie there for a bit and be in that moment.  I allowed myself to just Be….and it was fantastic!

As an adult, I’m easily caught up in all of the things I HAVE to do and I forget about the things that I GET to do.  Lying in the grass, tuning out is something I GET to do – not every day, but certainly with greater frequency than I actually do it.

I am alive.  I am healthy.  I am loved.  It is pure foolishness for me to squander all opportunities to celebrate those things.

I’ll tell you what, let’s do this: let’s do something childish this week.  Run for no reason.  Skip. Eat a soft-serve ice cream cone. Stomp in a puddle.  Let a ladybug walk on your hand.  Walk in the rain.  Let’s do something that reminds us of the joy it is our privilege to feel.

Let’s give ourselves permission.