A child-like wonder....

Never lose the child-like Wonder. 

 It’s just too important.  It’s what drives us.

Randy Pausch,  "The Last Lecture"

I remember as a child going to the drug store located on

the downtown street of the county seat of my hometown.

I loved going there.  Seems there aren't many places like "the dime store" as we called it-anymore.

   It had a cafe there where you could get a cheeseburger and cherry coke, if you were good and lucky.  Parents could purchase just about anything there--peroxide, pantie-hose and even "step-ins" as my great grandmother would call

ladies underwear.  My sister and I typically went in with a dollar each and back in the early seventies....well a dollar could buy a whole lot of stuff.

We'd walk along the low bins filled with various treasures---Chinese finger pulls, gaudy fake necklaces, yo yo's, jump ropes, and my favorite

kaleidoscopes.  Right next to the treasure bins, one would find other bins filled with penny candy---gum, kool-aid in a straw, tootsie rolls, carmels and even those fake

para film shaped lips with teeth that one could hold between their lips and appear to have a clown mouth.   I also loved the little para film soda bottles filled with syrupy sweet sugary drink--about one sip--I'd bite the top off, suck in the juice and then chew on the para film.  I loved the excitement of going in with a dollar and coming out with an assortment of treasures in my very own brown bag. 

We tend to loose that sense of wonder all too easily as we grow up--or else--someone squishes it out of us---tells us it is not cool to enjoy the simple things that cause delight.  We learn that it is not cool to pick up the kaleidoscope,

hold it to our eyes, point to the light and turn.....it makes us look funny...ungrown up...not hip or happening!!!!

I love what Randy Pausch said in his "last lecture" done for his children as he knew the end of his struggle with pancreatic cancer was nearing...

"Never lose the Child-Like wonder--it drives us."

I think he had something there--

a rich tidbit that we sexy hot adults can learn from...

perhaps....

somebody said to us

"Grow up"

"your too old for that"

"act your age"

and

there are probably good arguments for actually

doing these things sometime...

but

if we lose

the

wonder,

the ability to question what would happen when,

or

how something works.

or

dream about getting the biggest bag of sweet candies

to share with our friends...

well

when we get all stiff and grouchy and

"grown up"

sometimes we

forget

to press our faces up to the tinted glass

to see the world in all kinds of spectacular color,

we forget what it's like to

blow smoky smoke from our lips on a cold day

or dig through the clover looking for one with four leaves.

Our child like wonder---

it grounds us...

teaches us about how amazingly wonderful the world is and can be...

May we learn from the words in Peter Pan

"I don't want to grow up"

and

somehow

embody both

a grown up modality in which to function

coupled with

a hint of

our

inner child like glimmer that leaves a twinkle in our eye

when we

experience the mysteries of life....

May we all see the world,

gaze at the moon and stars,

breath in the air

and

cherish each

"wonder" we

are blessed to be a part of ...

Happy Friday

and

blessings..