You and me; we are the pretenders
Alone in the sandbox dreaming life away
We are not going to bankrupt our dreams with money and greed
We are not going to transcend time with selfish ambition
We are the keepers of the sand
The rulers of the playground
This is our time
Our moment to shine in the sun without the worry of life to scare us away
No one can stop this train
You and I are it
We have the answers to questions yet to be asked
We don’t need life to distract us
This maze is simple
The end is happiness in your arms
Your touch is my fuel
Your smile is my salvation
In my prayers, the happiness I find is knowing you are by my side
Growing up I will not do.
That means you are far away
In this dream, we own childhood and you and I are forever the rulers of this utopia in our minds
Running toward the shine of a soft moment of glorious paradise
Never stopping for the truth along the path
Words disguised as feelings playing off the lips of deception
Oh, this time it is real on the stones of false promises
The glass hides the images of emotions bleeding in silence and flowing down the cracks in the perfect pathway
Can you see the ghost recite absolute proverbs hiding under a costume designed by the demons we created with time
We are all chasing shadows trying to buy a life only on loan from the heavenly spirits
The epilogue will read that life was a failure in a world where success is a cliche of desperation blinded in a euphemism of children reciting the words of teachers trying to maintain innocence as long as the rains of aging hold back
Compassion hold tight as inexperience grows to hate and hate to awareness leading to the denial of the infinite end
The sun sets on another quiescent day and all is at peace for the moments we rest our wicked minds
“Cut up by the passion of a field that nurtured the young child to a beautiful blossoming lady
Never to return to the home that feed her senses with innocent awakening
Now the meadow lies still, alone with only the memories of that lady with the cherub smile whisking away in the wind.”
Time changes all of us. We are and will always be a product of our surroundings. The lessons taught by our parents, our religion, friends, home town, region, news, teachers and even the imaginary friends we create. As a sponge, we soak in all things, good and bad and through the eyes of innocence, we often as children are unable to filter the information.
What ultimately gives the child a fighting chance to become the adult of virtue?
The beauty of a child is simplicity and wholesomeness. The daughter of a close friend of mine still tells her mother I am the “bestest and she should marry me” Who could argue that logic and this coming from an adorable young girl that made me a Rutgers fan made out of paper and a Popsicle stick. As adults, we look at the whole situation, the challenges, the consequences and the responsibilities. She sees it as a nightly sleep over, movies and popcorn and outings to the zoo. That sounds like the perfect relationship to me.
Because I see the world as a daily challenge, am I to say this idea of marriage because they want their mother to be happy and she knows a fun, caring guy is wrong? I don’t think so. I think she is right but as much as women and men at metaphysically different, so are children and adults.
It’s a shame. How often to we wish to do it all again. For some the pursuit of eternal youth is a deeply rooted fear of death but the thought of a life of simplicity and innocence forever is utopia.
I want to play on the swings and look up at the clouds
I want to play hide and seek all around the neighborhood
I want to play baseball until it is so dark we can’t even see the ball
I want to imagine being in space and touching all the stars
I want to hug a complete stranger just because they look sad
I want cuddle with all my friends in the middle of the day
I want to sing songs while skipping down the road
I want to make believe I am someone different
I want to be your friend because you are silly
I want to kiss you and then giggle about it
I want to slide down the mountain in the snow and scream just because
I want to build a tree house and make it my mansion where I will live forever
I want own the beach and become the King and make it free for everyone
I want a puppy that will be my best friend
I want to wear 500 silly bands and cover my hand with the rainbow
I want to touch a rainbow
Who is to say we cannot return to innocence. We are adults. We are well educated individuals that has experienced all of life’s offerings and can now see the difference between right and wrong. Morals have been fortified and a foundation is set. If we embrace the memories of childhood, know good and bad, why then is there still prejudice, hate, greed, gluttony and all the other morally corrupt feelings and behaviors around us?
In the eyes of a child, “I don’t know”
I know I am wishing for something that is unattainable and no single person can define a movement that will set the bricks for this new world but so many have tried
John Lennon with his words
Martin Luther King Jr. with his vision
Ghandhi with his presence
Jim Henson with his Muppets
Abraham Lincoln with his fortitude for equality
Steve Jobs with his brilliance
Bill Gates with his generosity
Mother Theresa with her heart
Princess Diana with her beauty and warmth
All shared a vision of a better world and took the next step to allow their hearts to guide their path.
We all have the capability to be the children we once knew. We all have the strength to make this world a better place. I am not looking to change everyone, but asking you to look inside yourself, find that inner child that never left and start seeing the world the way it was meant to be.
“I’m 16, and a boy and I remember hearing great old singers and groups like Dixie Chicks, Sara Evans, LeeAnn Rimes, Lee Ann Womack, Alan Jackson, Diamond Rio, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Randy Travis and many other songs by these great country music makers! These songs bring back the best memories when I wasn’t in school yet and had all the time in the world to do what I wanted to do outside in the yard or outside in general. Now I’m a sophomore and I can’t slow down and enjoy my life like I used to.”
elmerlandon – YouTube
WTF
There is my self imposed morning rant. It is officially out of my system and now we can move on with clarity and a sense of relaxation. After all, without my first cup of coffee, the thought of a highly energized and distressed commentary just does not make logical sense.
Just to get this out in the open, I was watching the video “Cowboy Take Me Away” by the Dixie Chicks last night. YouTube is single greatest psychological tool for stream of consciousness flow study on the internet. The idea of going from a biographical video on the history of First Avenue Club in Minneapolis to the Dixie Chicks blows my mind away, but somehow it got there.
I am not usually one to scroll down to the comments, but this one was rather long and caught my eye with the detail of the historical reference points. I wasn’t immediately saddened by what I read until I took it in a second time and gave myself a few seconds to process it. The realization that a sixteen year old already feels overwhelmed with daily life and that the carefree lifestyle of being a child fraught with innocence is gone was discerning.
Playing hide and seek in the backyard, laying on a hammock, having coffee or lemonade with your parents on the back patio, or kissing your first crush under a tree are only activities reserved until you hit the ripe old age of twelve. I think not. That is a right, a privilege and a freedom earned by all who have been given the right to breathe.
I know what you are thinking, why such a deep commentary based on one isolated comment? In my mind that one isolated comment is the voice of a generation. A generation of thinkers and observers so overwhelmed with “global insanity” that is at our finger tips 24 hours a day that we lose site of the simple truths right before our eyes.
The real news in the world is the laughter of children in the park, dogs running around the yard, youth soccer programs practicing on a Saturday morning, hikes through the mountainous regions with the sun rising to guide our paths, the music of the songbirds while feeling the chill of the morning dew, a canoe trip down the river or a romantic walk by the ocean. That is the news we all need to live for. It is the morning, afternoon and evening of each day of our lives.
Instead we are showered with civil wars 13,000 miles away, terrorist bombings, economic turmoil, political unrest, corruption and greed, poverty and disease in Africa, smart phones and computer dominance and that is just the first page of the Wall Street Journal. Where does all this madness stop? This isn’t just today but every day and with each passing day, the over load of news just keeps piling up until we have a massive stock pile and no where to haul it.
What is the answer? I am not here to provide an answer, but we need to address that comment. This anonymous YouTube user is the voice for what so many of us are thinking. We should not be afraid to speak up and share these sentiments because if we don’t take back our own lives, we cannot even begin to help others.
It only takes one voice, one dream, one open expression of love and community to open the eyes of millions and create a revolution. We need a revolution of peace to bring life back to you and I and begin to find those days when we were ten and life was only about the moments right before our adventurous eyes.
“I will work for only $10 a day to pay for gas or will consider working for free to gain experience in medical office field. Would also consider a chiropractor assistant. I ran an office for 8 years where I did customer service, AP, AR, payroll, scheduling, and ordering supplied. Some companies need that little extra help but can’t afford to hire another employee because that would require putting another on payroll. This would be ideal. If you would like I could send you personal and professional references”
- Craigslist Charlotte – Resumes
For a few hours today as RIP J.D. Salinger filled the Twitter Cyber airwaves, we reflected on the man that created a generational persona and one of the most gifted fictional literary characters of the 20th Century. Catcher in the Rye reminded us of the loss of innocence and how maturity, the pitfalls of life and the pressures we face every day are entrenched in our minds and emotions. If we can help the children hold on a little longer to the dreams and simplicities of innocence, we have succeeded.
I want to join Holden at the bottom of the hill catching the children as they fall and helping them stay on that mountain a little longer.
Seeing that ad today timed very well with the passing of such a profound author and thinker.
Some analysts believe that this recession may be the great equalizer. The time in our lives where we are forced to walk away from gluttony and greed and rely on the relationships and moral framework that followed us throughout our lives.
Holden was an observer much like Salinger, who took in his surroundings and with his emotions internalized walked through life with a pattern of uncertainty and delusional optimism.
That is an interesting phrase, “delusional optimism”. He wanted to believe in the goodness of others but others were forced to determine their lifestyle of money, greed, gluttony and societies impression of their live of value. Value is not based on wealth. I could fight that argument until all the children fall. Value is based on the number of smiles in a day, the feeling of being completely content, the warmth of a hug, the sound of a voice or the sound of nothing but a single bird in a windowsill.
To me value is the moments that make we feel alive.
Tomorrow the recession will continue, the wars will still be fought, natural disasters will tear families apart and prejudice and bias will be seen all over the world but for me, I will wake up to the sound of the bird and smile.
Writer / Blogger / Social Media and Talent Acquisition Consultant / Life Geek / Photographer
Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, Global Social Media and Marketing Solutions including: organizational development, team building, change management, compensation structural development and implementation, social media and talent community development, growth and advancement, training, rewards and recognition, recruitment, attrition control, affirmative action administration, labor relations and M&A.
Trainer
So You Think You Can Interview - ProNet August, 2010 Personal Branding and Social Media Resources - ProNet June, 2010 Personal Branding and Social Media Resources - Lee Hecht Harrison July, 2010 Personal Branding and Social Media Tooling - Lenova Women in Leadership September, 2010 Your Life Bag - ProNet October, 2010, The Effects of Social Media in the Workplace - Carolinas Payroll Conference November 2012
Published Author
Sonni's Abyss (June 2008)
A Beautiful World (February 2011)
This Time Around (Scheduled for February 2013 Publication)
