Day 24

A toddler learning to walk will fall repeatedly. A young child with her new two-wheeler will falter many times before she first rides without the training wheels. Skinned knees will not deter children from learning to roller skate. Bruised arms and legs don't prevent girls from trying cartwheels in their backyards.

Children have a resilency that is remarkable. Adults... not as much so.

Perhaps we are like elastic bands. New bands stretch and return to their original shape. As the elastic ages, it becomes looser and brittle. It goes from remarkable resiliency to extreme fragility.

As children, we are tenacious. We never give up. Quitting isn't a word most of us have in our vocabularly. At least, not when it comes to something we want to learn, something we yearn to be able to do. As adults, we do not have this tenacity. We let go of dreams too easily. We forget to fight for what we want, for what we love. We are tired, and do not want to exert our energy on flightless dreams of whimsy.

We forget how to be free. We forget how to let go. We forget, all too easily, that life is not endless. That time is not something we ever get back. We slip into despair and grief or waste time and energy on anger or regret.

So many children recognize that life is hard. We don't give them credit for it, but think back. Most of us had some sort of challenges to overcome. Most of us had to fight to grow into the people we are today. Those of us lucky enough to look in the mirror and like the person that looks back have had to fight for that self-respect. Children choose not to dwell on what they cannot control. They may become anxious or excited. They cry and they falter. Yet always they stand up again. Always they clean that skinned knee and put the skates back on their feet, ready to try again.

If we could bottle that fearlessness, that effervescence...if we could market the freedom children know, we'd all be rich. We forget, though, that we have this quality. If we tap deep into our psyches and remember who were were not that terribly long ago, we can enjoy this release from grief, this ability to fight for what we want, for whom we want to become. If we only stop and remember that life, while often cruel and miserable, can be beautiful and amazing... well... if we could do that, it would be a gift no one could take from us.

So, the next time you watch a child take her first steps, the next time you watch a Little League team win, just remember that they were not afraid of the journey. They failed before they could succeed. They fought for what they wanted... and you can, too. You just have to choose to believe.