IN PRAISE OF CHILDISH THINGS by Burt Kempner

​“When I became a man, I put away childish things.” - 1 Corinthians

Why do so many of us abandon our playfulness as we grow older? Do the cares of the world grind us down? Is it the burden of responsibility and responsibility's frequent best friend: worry? Imagine taking the best aspects of our earlier years -- curiosity, daring, receptivity to the new -- and reintegrating them without the youthful baggage of impetuousness, self-centeredness and impatience. (Yes, sometimes my inner child could be an absolute brat.)

So how would this re-invigorated person act, think, feel, work, worship or, last but nowhere near least, play? I want to be that person. It’s been lonely not being him, I've been realizing how many good things from my youth I've let slip away and I'm trying to give them a loving welcome back. I may return to Never Never Land yet, even if I have to back in rather than fly over. ∎