A grownup is
a child with layers on.
~Woody Harrelson

Do you think that child in you actually died at some point in time along the way of your growing and becoming an adult? Well, it didn’t! It is still alive and he/she needs to be nurtured for the betterment of your adult health and well-being. This does not mean you should behave in a childish manner nor give up your autonomy. But it never hurts every now and again to “Anticipate the day as if it were your birthday and you’re turning six again.” (Mike Dolan)

The right to play is one of the divine rights of men and women, of boys and girls, and is just as essential to the peace, happiness and prosperity of the world as is the right to pray. ~Silas X. Floyd

One of the virtues of being very young is that you don’t let the facts get in the way of your imagination. ~Sam Levenson

Creativity represents a miraculous coming together of the uninhibited energy of the child with its apparent opposite and enemy, the sense of order imposed on the disciplined adult intelligence. ~Norman Podhoretz

I am often accused of being childish. I prefer to interpret that as child-like. I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things. I tend to exaggerate and fantasize and embellish. I still listen to instinctual urges. I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind. I never water my garden without soaking myself.  It has been after such times of joy that I have achieved my greatest creativity and produced my best work. ~Leo F. Buscaglia, professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Southern California, best-selling author, and motivational speaker

Imagination is our inner-child and creativity, its playground. ~Jaeda DeWalt

Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.  ~Heraclitus

It is a happy talent to know how to play.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

If one looks closely at Creation, he/she can easily see that even the Lord has a playful side. So it is that we must honor and nurture what God has chosen to include in us. My husband is 81 years old and has been playing golf since he was a young boy. And I would double dog dare anyone to try talk him into stopping playing! I can assure you it would defninitely be a daunting task! Now, has your adult self spent time with your inner child today? The people in that last collage have!

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ~Matthew 19:14  ✝

**Photos via Pinterest and Pixabay; collages created by Natalie