Childhood.

Today is the last day of my childhood. I have been alive for 18 years.

Yikes.

I don't know why I'm finding it to be a big(ish) deal. It really shouldn't be. Its another day. But at the same time, a new season of my life is opening. Like I mentioned in my last post, this is a year of changes. And tomorrow is one of them.

One of my new favorite songs (given to me on a mix cd recently! yay!), is Dream by Priscilla Ahn. Here is the first bit:

I was a little girl
Alone in my little world
Who dreamed of a little home for me.
I played pretend between the trees,
And fed my houseguests bark and leaves,
And laughed in my pretty bed of green.

I had a dream
That I could fly
From the highest swing.
I had a dream.

Long walks in the dark
Through woods grown behind the park,
I asked God who I'm supposed to be.
The stars smiled down on me,
God answered in silent reverie.
I said a prayer and fell asleep.

I had a dream
That I could fly
From the highest tree.
I had a dream.


I think I like this song so much because I identify with it. The first stanza makes me think of all the times my best friend and I made fairy houses out of bark and twigs and leaves and grass and pinecones. Sometimes I want to return to those days and never leave.

The first chorus makes me think of swinging under our deck when I was young. I would close my eyes and tip back and pretend I was flying. It was glorious. And I miss it.

The second stanza makes me think of camp. Kids camp, youth camp, you name it, but I loved walking through the wooded area, canoeing and tubing down the river. Spending time with my bestie, walking through the dark and figuring out the meaning of life by the "Narnia ruins" and the spring, in the afternoon and during night games.

And the last chorus makes me think of climbing trees. Even recently, I have climbed a tree in our backyard. From it I can see the road and the fields. I sit up there and think, and sometimes wish I could fly away.


I think sometimes we forget to take joy in the simple things in life. We forget to live as little children, flying on swings, imagining creatures and worlds that exist with our own, talking about anything and everything all the time, climbing trees and just sitting. We get caught up in our everyday routine and forget that the beauty of these small wonders. Little things that make such a difference.

As I step into my adult life, I wonder who I will become. I wonder what sort of things I will do, where I will go in life. I want to accomplish many things. I want to be a better person, live for God. learn to love God more. I want to be more responsible and display more maturity. But even as I make this transition, I want to remember to take time to live like a child. To take time and swing high, climb trees, and make fairy houses. To play pretend and walk in the woods aimlessly, for no purpose than my own satisfaction. To sometimes set everything aside and forget about it for a while, not worrying about anything.

I want to never lose that childlike spirit, even if my childhood is behind me.

I want to keep dreaming.