Be fearless

I have a new outlook on life. A new philosophy if you will. And it is teaching me what it really means to be happy, and it is teaching me the true meaning of love.

Do you remember being a child, and running up to someone, your Mom or your Dad… but think back, it didn’t even have to be a big headlining name like that. It could be Second Aunt Mildred twice removed and now she is back from Nebraska visiting for two weeks. When you were a child, you would run up to Good Ol’ Aunt Mildred, and just appreciate her presence, and give her a hug. Maybe give her a kiss. Maybe even tell her “I love you.” And why? Just because you felt like it.

Maybe Aunt Mildred had great shoes on. Or maybe Aunt Mildred made you laugh. Or maybe she smelled good. So what would you do? Tell her. And right away. And why? Because you felt like it. Because you wanted her to know. No other reason. No ulterior motive. No reason of your own, only for the completely innocent selfless reasoning of just doing what you felt. Living in the moment. If there was possibly any ulterior motive at all, it was the feeling you got after making someone else feel good. And there it is. The key to happiness. Making others happy. Children know what life is about. They see things with wide eyed wonderment and smile and laugh and cherish the little things. They aren’t worried about time or getting dirt on their shoes or eating too much ice cream. Consequences are inevitable but children don’t think of them. And now, don’t think I am suggesting that I plan on running around without thinking of any consequences, being a selfish good for nothing glutton who will just run around aimlessly thinking I live without rules or can just tell everyone what I think and will just walk away. Quite the opposite actually. I just remember how good it felt to be a child and am learning to recapture that fearlessness and embrace it now as an adult. And I am learning also and understanding clearly that all my actions have consequences. So I am taking those ideas and combining them. Because, sometimes it is those actions we fail to do that have the worst consequences. Regret is a horrible word. And regret is a consequence of inaction. So now, I act. If someone makes me feel good, I tell them. If someone makes me feel happy, I tell them. If someone makes me smile, I tell them. What is better than passing on a good feeling?