Little Feet: The Ecstasy Of Youth

They played all afternoon. Six-year old Jellianne acted as the leader of their gang, spearheading the mini adventures they embarked on that day. Hannah, who is three-years old, mimicked every move Jellianne did. She would literally tag along behind the young leader, singing the same songs and pretending to be Pop stars. On the other hand there's four-year old Jandy who is curious about a lot of things, he is so curious about his environment that he is often left in tears because he either ends up with a cut on his hand (brought about by tinkering with random household appliances) or a bump on his forehead (he was meddling with the Venetian Blinds and it fell down on him). Together the three of them bonded over whatever they could play with which was a bit of any household items they could put their hands on, and most of the time, whatever their youthful imagination could conjure up as a play-thing.

I remember my childhood too. Despite being overweight and socially awkward, I had my own brand of fun; scouring my school library for the most interesting books I could find, I would stay up in bed all night reading those books instead of studying my school lessons. That was the kind of fun I've had as a child and I would not have it any other way. I grew up with a colorful inner world even if my outer disposition would suggest otherwise. I am thankful for the childhood I've had as it gave me the sturdy foundation I needed in my later years growing up.

And now we've come to this. I am 25 years old, standing by the window and looking out at the three children playing. My heart is full of joy at this sight. I hope the three of them savor the halcyon days of youth while Chronos is still biding his time until the next stage of life. I hope they don't lose their sense of wonder even if they grow up to find that life is not all lollipops and roses.

I hope they would someday look back on this afternoon as a memory they would cherish until the last days of their lives: that there was a time when innocence was all they knew and that despite (or maybe because of) this innocence, the world was their oyster.