Longer Shadows

There are days I wish I was a kid again.  There’s something alluring about the careless freedom of barefooted youth: The short span of life where time is irrelevant and periods of the day are loosely measured by warm sun shadows. A time of innocence where wealth is gauged in pennies and treasure is a collection of sparkly rocks and a bright blue feather.

And then life changes with the joyful progressive warning of an added flame on a cake and a short chorus.

Time becomes relevant. Life becomes scheduled. Worry becomes predictable. And the kid is gone…

…unless we refuse to forget, protecting that small and vulnerable spirit.

Just because we’re higher off the ground doesn’t mean we shouldn’t find treasure… sparkly rocks… a bright blue feather…

We’re just casting longer shadows in the same warm sun.

Happy Birthday Joe Joe!