If you feel 25 on the Inside Act your Age
Often, we find ourselves looking in the mirror and examining those new wrinkles. We notice a creaking in our bones when we stand up that wasn’t there a few years ago and every year a few more grays spring out. There is no “Portrait of Dorian Gray” that will keep us forever young on the outside, but how we feel on the inside is entirely up to us. If you feel young then act on your inner youth and make the most of life. At the same time, however, there is no need to be in denial about your age. Afterall, as we explored in an archived issue, wisdom develops over time, and the experiences of us older folks can be hugely important in shaping future generations. Make a list To call it a “bucket list” is rather grim so instead make your “rapscallion list”—10 things you want to do to appease your inner child. The goal is to complete one, and replace it with another so that you always have a list of 10 things to do. These things can be impressive feats such as skiing the Swiss Alps, or going diving in Fiji. Others can be as simple as hiking a local trail or bungee jumping. According to Everyday Health being active while enjoying the outdoors is a sure way to activate your inner youth. You can even be a bit of a juvenile if it is truly what your inner child demands. My 63 year-old mother felt the urge to go “toilet paper” the neighbor’s house. She confessed this desire to me, and felt rather ashamed while expressing her need to feel like a kid again. I told her it was a grand idea, and gave my “thumbs up”, but at the end of the day she backed down. In cases like this, I say go for it and have some fun. I imagine that had my mother ran around the house tossing rolls of paper into the trees and over storm drains she surely would have returned feeling child-like and energized. Discover the inner you Expressing yourself with art (we explored the benefits of art, in particular, in a popular piece by Cathy McGuire some years ago), be it painting, sculpture, music or crafts is a great way to embrace aspects of your inner child and bring her to the surface of your consciousness. Start by making a list of your favorite child hood memories. Once you have this list, go buy an accordion style folder and look for images or objects that remind you of your childhood and store them accordingly. Once you have filled your storage folder, spread the items out on the table next to your list, and find ways to correlate them to one another. For example, “forced association” is a great technique to use that requires one to find words or themes that all your items share in common. Use your findings and your inner child to make a painting or a fun sculpture. You can even use your creative inner child to enter numerous online contests to win prizes and money, such as the 21st Century Insurance Contest that calls for a revamp of the classic baby on board sign that we all remember in the back windows of cars from the 80s.