Full Of Life

My oldest daughter loves her music. When we get in the car and are going somewhere, usually she will grab the controls of my Ipod. She will play her favorite “rockin’ out” tunes. And she makes me smile. I look over at her and her mouth is singing as wide as it can belt the song out, her head is flippin her red hair back and forth, and she is dancing as much as she possibly can in that seat with her head tilted back taking all the “vibe” of the music in.

How could you not smile watching that? She is so full of life. So full of excitement. She is ready (as most teenagers are) to take on the world.

Do you remember that feeling? The feeling that you could go out and do anything – be anything?  Why do we lose that as we age? Why do we get so jaded by life?

Life is tough. It can deal us some nasty blows along the way. But life is also so full of – LIFE! It has so much adventure in it! If there’s one thing I’ve learned by being around youth it is that they help keep me young. They help me feel youthful even though I keep getting another year older. They have so much to teach us – or maybe just things that we need to relearn!

We are alive for a reason. We are breathing for a reason. Who cares if someone in another car sees us jamming out to our favorite song from the 80’s? Who cares if we attempt to ride a scooter and fall miserably on our behind? Laughter is good for the soul. Teens know that!

A big part of life is about trial and error. Something that our youth are constantly involved in. They are experimenting with who they are, what they like, and what they want out of life. They are vibrant, active, and energetic. I admire them for that and I want to help them embrace that.

If I can rediscover that part of me from years ago – that part of me that had endless dreams, optimism galore, and fun around every corner – if I can do that despite the demands of parental responsibilities, financial obligations, and the problems of life…I think I will have discovered something timeless. I think I will have truly tapped into something special that most people somehow lose as they grow up.

And then, I will know how to live life with my arms wide open – saying “come at me world!  I’m ready to take you on!”

This is real living! And I want to feel full.