Life's Wisdom Learned in Works for Children
by Lisa A Kramer, in Childhood Memories
Whenever the craziness and insanity of our world gets to be too much, I find myself turning to old favorite things for comfort. Sometimes that means putting in a good romantic comedy (When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail, Notting Hill, or The Holiday are my recent go to picks). But, more often than not, I search for comfort in all things related to children--movies, books, and television shows (even the most obnoxious ones from Disney). Of course, some of my go to comforts aren't specifically for children, but most of them filter the world through the eyes of childhood and reveal that children are much closer to simple truth than so many adults who think they know everything.
The past few days have been very emotional for me. A combination of good news, bad news, creative energy, fear, too much Halloween candy, insomnia brought upon by the joyous time change, a lot of schlepping and driving, the general ups and downs of being a parent, and a few too many caffeinated have combined to make me a babbling ball of frazzled energy. So, in typical fashion I found myself looking for comfort in a book. Now the book I chose isn't exactly one for children, but it is a reminder that learning can come even from the simplest of bears:
Hoff writes,
The past few days have been very emotional for me. A combination of good news, bad news, creative energy, fear, too much Halloween candy, insomnia brought upon by the joyous time change, a lot of schlepping and driving, the general ups and downs of being a parent, and a few too many caffeinated have combined to make me a babbling ball of frazzled energy. So, in typical fashion I found myself looking for comfort in a book. Now the book I chose isn't exactly one for children, but it is a reminder that learning can come even from the simplest of bears:
Hoff writes,
"but the adult is not the highest stage of development. the end of the cycle is that of the independent, clear-minded, all-seeing Child. That is the level known as wisdom. When the Ta Te Ching and other wise books say things like, "Return to the beginning; become a child again," that's what they're referring to." (151)Throughout my posts you can easily find quotes and memories from childhood favorites that still speak to me this day. But rather than have you search for them, and in a hope that gathering some of this wisdom together might make me fill more centered, I thought I would share some of my favorite lessons here, in one place. Feel free to add any that I miss in the comments below.
- There is no limit to dreams: I very recently wrote the post called "Join Me in a Land of Wonder" so I'm not going to repeat the videos here. But I would like to quote some of the dialogue from Tangled that I love:
Rapunzel: I've been looking out of a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be? Flynn Rider: It will be. Rapunzel: And what if it is? What do I do then? Flynn Rider: Well,that's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream.
- Today's mistakes mean nothing: Or, to quote “Tomorrow is another day with no mistakes in it.”
- There is no limit to where your imagination can take you:
"If you are a dreamer come in, . . ."
. . (Shel Silverstein, Invitation)"For the children, they mark, and the children, they know The place where the sidewalk ends." (Shel Silverstein, Where the Sidewalk Ends)
- The simplest things can make us happy:
Actually, Calvin and Hobbes is one of the best sources of wisdom anywhere.
- Keep on trying:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EnnyGSRedYg]
- Love, travel, and adventure make life worth living:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_HUZCRWEkk]
My list could go on forever, but I'll spare you that. What words of wisdom have you learned from your favorites of childhood?
