Lookin' at Clouds

A new blog will be posted each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Reminder:  Just wanted to remind you, if you haven't begun a Gratitude Journal, today is the perfect day to begin.  Remember, write a couple of things you're grateful for each day for a week, then begin recording an entry just once a week  (for more details, see Gratitude Is a Choosen Attribute, July 15th).   
Now, on to today's post:                       

          I hope you took the time on Monday, or since, to spend a few minutes remembering the joys of childhood and the things that made you happy way back then.  Today, I'd like to continue with a related topic: actually doing some of the things you used to do.

            If you're way old (like me) you may remember singer Judy Collins' 1967 hit, Both Sides Now. She sang of looking at clouds and recalling their illusions.  As kids we took the time to look at clouds.  Do you remember seeing dinosaurs, teddy bears, trees, and many other "illusions" of things from real life? I often think of cloud illusions as one of God's ways of saying, "Take a minute. Relax. Lay back on the lawn and enjoy my whimsical artwork."  I think God would like us to contemplate the grandeur of His creations and allow them to renew us.  He loves us and has devised many ways of telling us so.  Are we listening?

      A few days ago my grandkids were over.  I was outside swinging the 4 year old on the hammock, and the 8 year old was inside with his grandpa.  Through the open windows, I could hear him singing away as loud as could be.  That was a happy sound!  There are so many happy sounds, sites, smells and experiences related to childhood!  Like my grandson, I once sang at the top of my lungs to express my pleasure with life. I picked violets from lawns and fields; lounged under a tree, just to daydream; hopped over, raced through, skipped around, and jumped in puddles, and a whole lot of other fun things.

          One of the attributes I admire about my oldest son is that he is still connected to the kid inside.  He's a favorite with nieces and nephews because he knows how to have fun.  There is just something so charming, attractive and wonderful about someone who can relax and relate to the world with the eyes and heart of a child.  So, today, forget that you're a fully matured, staid and rational adult.  Let go a little and allow yourself to blow a BIG bubble with a piece of bubble gum. Color a picture in your kid's coloring book (then stop to smell the fragrance of the crayons on the paper). Blow soap bubbles with your kids or grandkids and notice the iridescence of each delicate orb just before it bursts.  Jump on a big piece of bubble wrap just to hear it POP, POP, POP, or sing at the top of your lungs (not in an elevator, of course, but someplace reasonable).

          Reconnect with that joyful part of your being.  It really is still there, inside you, and it will be thrilled to be let out for awhile.  And you will be grateful for the joy you feel as you allow yourself the pleasure of truly experiencing the wonder of life as you once knew it!

TODAY'S AWESOME BLESSING: 
The opportunity to write this blog.  I am feeling more balanced and joyful than I have for a long time.  My friend, Clyda tells me I was born to write.  I think there are many things that make life fulfilling, but for me writing truly is a need if I am to be whole.  So, Clyda, thanks for reminding me.  And Aubree, thanks for helping me to set up this blog.  That was a wonderful act of service that is blessing me, and my desire is that it will prove a blessing to those who visit this site and read what I have to share.
I hope every one of you has a thank filled day, and an opportunity to be a kid, just for a little while.